One of my favorite things to do is take walks in my neighborhood. I have a five mile loop I'll do when I'm hashing out a plot or trying to think of a better word than, "realize. It was during these walks that the majority of my last story came to fruition.
On average, I'll walk past ten people in this loop and I've made it a goal to say hi to everyone of them. It's a small thing I want to do to help build a stronger sense of community in my neighborhood. It's easy for me to cast my eyes down at my feet or look away when walking past someone, and there's also the discomfort level of making eye contact with a stranger.
But I want my neighborhood to be a happy and cohesive place, one where people aren't afraid to reach out to others, even just a little bit.
So often I feel helpless, like I'm not doing enough to change the world and make it a better place for my children. I know this small habit is little, but each time I do it I'm reminded of a greater lesson:
Being kind is always worth it.
Do you say hi to strangers?
Does it give you anxiety or is it part of your neighborhood culture?
Does it give you anxiety or is it part of your neighborhood culture?
*photos of my neighborhood by moi
24 comments:
You know, I'm not usually one to initiate the "hi" but I've been getting better at it. I joke that my husband is like the mayor of our co-op - he says hi to everyone! I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and doing so more.
That is so cool you live in a co-op! And I love that your husband says hi to everyone.
I'm bad at saying hi... I'm kind of one of those "keep to yourself" kind of people. I guess that's my social awkwardness doing double time.
Yes to saying hi to strangers in most situations,not all., but definitely in the neighborhood and while hiking/exercising!
Love the photos.
I always love it when I get a smile from a stranger.
It is usual, here in Spain, to speak to practically everyone - so I love it. I so hate it when I smile at someone and they turn away or look through me as if I am not there.
Keep up the good work and do not be daunted!
I love the 'loop' photos!
I guess it depends where you are. You might get strange looks from some people in the city. I always say hi , or morning to other runners say.Or home in the village...if you EVER pass anyone that is (tres quiet!) -so I am all for it!
I don't do it in Atlanta, but back in my hometown I do,
Your neighbourhood looks beautiful, Tiffany. I always greet people in our where we live - it would be just weird not to.
I love that it would feel weird not to say hi. That's the kind of feeling I want in my neighborhood.
I tend not to say Hi to strangers but I will smile at them but when someone doesn't smile back, I can't help but think they're bitchy.
wow, looks like a beautiful neighborhood you live in!! i like to say hi to strangers, or sometimes i just smile :)
wow, looks like a beautiful neighborhood you live in!! i like to say hi to strangers, or sometimes i just smile :)
I love saying HI to strangers!! I love talking to people and meeting everyone. :)
gorgeous pics!
xx
b
The babies say hi by barking manically.
When I lived in LA people where super nice and always said hello... Believe it or not people in miamimwere not that nice and looked at you kind of weird... I know why but I want to be nice and not say it... Haha!!!!
I do say Hi, but most of the time people look at me like I'm crazy! I have noticed that I tend to greet people less. It's so odd that we can't even manage a simple hi :/
Wow, looks like a beautiful neighbourhood!
Saying hi does make me anxious, but it is part of my neighborhood culture, so that helps! I think it's a bit of a Louisville/Kentucky thing--every city and neighborhood I've lived in here is like that. People just say hi and keep going. I like it, even if saying hi makes a shy girl like me nervous for a minute!
wow , so beautiful pics, amazing.
Parfum pas cher
I just moved to Kuala Lumpur recently. It's the capital city of Malaysia. I lived in a condo and tried many times to say hi to my neighbors. Unfortunately most people would avoid eye contact with me. They would pretend to look at their phones or just looked away.
This is so different from the town I lived before, where everyone in the neighborhood say hi to each other.
After many attempts, some people finally smiled at me. I will keep on doing so!
I always say hi to strangers and I always smile. Most people smile back. Sometimes people are shocked which is just sad in itself. xo
I've been trying to be more outgoing with strangers overall lately, but what I've noticed is that it's really hard to engage most people my age on the street. Almost everyone is either on the phone or has headphones in! Maybe this is just the way big cities are. I've found that I can chat up or just say hi to older people without a problem (they don't have the barriers). I really love that you do this, Tiff. It's old-fashioned almost, and it shouldn't be. I say we keep working to bring neighborhood friendliness and community back.
HMMMMMMM. ok, this is probably a good thing.
i used to live in a neighborhood that had a lot of russians in it. it drove me CRAZY that they would not say hello, nor would they MOVe out of the way when on the sidewalk -- EVER. very dour, very stout, and very stubborn. lol. then again, they could have thought the same thing about me. lol!
this doesn't relate all that much but the other day everyone EVERYONE was saying hello to me and smiling at me. this kept happening ALL day long. it was weird. it was a little unnerving. i wondered what they really wanted from me, but they were just being friendly. i was wearing a cute dress and a hot pink scarf with it, so maybe it was the scarf. who knows. but it was kind of nice. friendly people with a hello and a smile are usually a good thing. but don't get tooooo friendly with the male folks or they will think they have a chance at ya! lol!
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