Simple Suggestion #193... Say a simple hello

Maybe this wouldn't seem like a good suggestion to the extreme introvert, but to me, it's just part of living a life of courtesy and kindness. I'll admit it: I am an introvert (but not too far from the extrovert end of the scale), so I'm not the type to really go out of my way to say hello to people, especially when I sense that, like me, they might prefer their own little world. But it's always been a rather uncomfortable feeling for me to walk past someone without acknowledging them in some way -- eye contact and a smile, a nod, or a simple hello. A stranger coming down the sidewalk is just someone I don't know, and a little acknowledgment might be the difference between the feeling of not being worth anything and a happy day -- for both of us.

I never know what might happen when I say hello to someone. Usually, they say a simple hello back, and we continue on in our separate directions. But last week I said hello to a boy with a backpack who was shuffling along, head down as if he was rather dejected, and his head snapped up, he looked me in the eye, and said, "Have a good day."

I don't know about you, but I can't wish someone else a good day without improving my own somehow, a wee bit. Greeting other people is like throwing a little positive energy into the wind, and feeling it rush back to ruffle my hair, too.