Just Smile

How often do you smile and say hello to the people you run into everyday?  Are you one that looks at the ground and avoids eye contact with the person you're passing?  There's no need to stop and strike up a conversation with every single person you pass, obviously.  How much effort does it take to at least smile, though?  Not much at all!

When I'm walking around campus I find myself doing a lot of smiling and saying hello.  Some of it is because I'm not always sure if it is someone I should recognize, if they live in my building, etc.  I figure I'm safe if I smile at everyone.  Who knows, doing that might make someone's day and they might begin to pass it along to the next person.

To be honest, one thing that irks me is when I outright say hello when passing someone in a small hallway and I don't even get a nod.  I think it's almost human instinct to reciprocate the behavior.  Now, I understand not everyone is comfortable looking at strangers let alone speaking to them, so I try not to let it bother me too much.

The other day I was at Christmas Tree Shops.  As I was gathering my bags at the cash register, the man in line behind me (who was having quite a hearty conversation with someone he seemed to know) looked at me and said "have a nice day, miss!".  I was quite surprised!  I smiled, thanked him and said "you too!".  Shopping experiences would be so much more enjoyable if people were more like that and less likely to grumble about the annoyances in life.  His simple "have a nice day" made my day and got me thinking about how simple it is to be a kind and decent human being.

How often do I get a nasty look from someone at Walmart when our carts almost collide leaving an aisle?  It's pretty bad, actually.  It's not like I'm the first one to almost run them down with my cart.  And I'm sure they too have almost run into someone.  No need to sneer at me.  I almost always smile, laugh, and say sorry!  And I will continue to do this until traffic lights are installed at the end of the aisles.  I encourage you to do the same.  It's really not the end of the world.

Culture has a huge influence on the way that people are with others, right down to personal space.  Typically, in the American culture a handshake is enough.  If I don't know you then don't even think about coming up to me and hugging me.  But how many people out there aren't lucky enough to have someone to hug them when they are feeling down and had a bad day?  I know a simple hug can sometimes make you feel better.  Touch is something that humans need to experience.  I find it interesting, though, that someone offering free hugs on the street can be viewed as controversial.  Granted, our minds always go straight to the worst...is he a killer, is he going to stab me, is he going to grab me and kidnap me?  It is sad that it's come to that.

So, if you don't want to make someones day by holding up a sign giving out free hugs, the very least you can do is smile when you walk by someone.