Stop and Say Hello

I have a very terrible habit that manifests itself wherever I am somewhere that is not my home. My head whips back and forth and up and down in a perpetual exercise to see if I recognize anyone. It doesn't matter if I'm in a restaurant, at a ball game or in a foreign airport. I am always on the lookout to see people I know.

I'm not really sure what it stems from. I think it may be related to something from childhood that I never grew out of. For example, the uninhibited excitement of running into a friend outside of school or a scheduled playdate.

I'm almost 23 and I still get excited when I see run into someone I wasn't expecting to. I've talked about this with some friends and they don't really seem to have that same feeling.

My one friend and I were talking about running into people from grade school when we are home around Christmas. He was of the opinion that it was exhausting to have to put up with false pleasantries and small talk with people you hadn't seen for years. I on the other hand am genuinely interested to stop and talk with someone I haven't seen in a few years to find out how their lives are going.

This past weekend I ran into two guys I knew in high school that I had seen only once or twice (if at all) since we had graduated. We swapped stories about our own lives and people we still kept in touch with. It was great to see that many people are still connected with each other in some way or another.

Often the world can feel like a cold and lonely place, and I think I am just like looking for ways to make it a little bit smaller and friendlier.

So, if you see me out and about say hi, because I'll be looking out for you.