Hello!

People really make me wonder sometimes. Why is it that a lot of folks do not respond at all when greeted? We walk down the hallways here and always say hello if we should happen to encounter others walking by, but 99.9% of the time we get no response. People look right at us and just don’t respond! It’s crazy.

I remember commenting on this when we lived in Jacksonville also. I would walk the same route every day, encounter the same people just about every day, and only 1 person would respond when I said hello. Most would purposely look down at the ground when approaching another person so they wouldn’t have to acknowledge them.

And as I think about our walks along the river here – part of it is a tree lined dirt path and part of it is cement sidewalks with restaurants, bars, and stores along the way. The people walking on the tree lined path usually nod or say hello, sometimes we have a short conversation about the dog(s) they are walking with, etc. But all that seems to end once we hit the sidewalk again.

Now campers are a totally different story! If you take a stroll around a campground pretty much everyone you pass will wave or say hello, and some will engage you in a real conversation. Doesn’t seem to matter if camping in the woods or parked on a cement pad in an RV resort either.

It occurs to me that people are friendly on a tree lined dirt path along the river and also in campgrounds/RV resorts – places that offer a little bit of an escape from the hustle and bustle of life.

And the pandemic “rules” just seem to encourage this antisocial behavior even more… but guess what? You can still say hello, nod, wave – whatever you feel comfortable doing to acknowledge another human being as you pass by while wearing a mask and keeping 6 feet apart!

I HATE TO BE IGNORED! Sometimes I want to just stop dead in my tracks, blocking the way, and ask, “Did you hear me?”

But instead, I’ll go back to the routine I followed during my walks in Jacksonville. I would say this little prayer silently as each person passed by: May you be well. May you be happy. May you abide in peace.

Sending love to each of you!