a simple "hello"

The Way I See It #141 

(courtesy of my granda soy latte cup from starbucks on Comm. Ave.)

I used to feel so alone in the city.

All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside.

Because how do you meet a new person?

I was very stumped by this for many years.

And then I realized, you just say, "Hi."

They may ignore you.

Or you may marry them.

And that possibility is worth that one word.

--Augusten Burroughs

Author of Running with Scissors.

It's so perfect at how the universe works.  How something simple like a coffee cup's printing can actually serve as a tool for reflection.  As I was walking back from a Buddhist Community Meeting, with my friend and fellow RA--Kat, I popped into Starbucks to get something to warm myself on this 21 degree day.  And in sitting here, in the Res Hall dining hall, preparing for a group assignment with my social welfare policy group, I stopped to read what the quote on my coffee cup said.  And it struck me how ironic it was that on this day, Kat and I walked into a community center where a Buddhist meeting was happening, a place with perfect strangers...and how powerful the word "Hello" can be.

As we settled in to chant with the community around us, people immediately came up to us--to welcome us and help warm us--people were coming up to us saying "Hi", "Hello", "Welcome", "Do you need help finding a seat", "Here is what's happening right now".  It was such a wonderful thing on this otherwise frigid day.

And it's true.  Saying hello can have such an impact, a ripple effect.  I've always tried to say hello when I'm standing next to someone in line, on an elevator, on the T, in the hallway.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes it ends up with a rather unpleasant response from the receiver of my greeting...but the starbucks reflection makes a good point.  It's worth that simple word.  It's genuinely worth it.

Until next time, I wish you many "hellos" from people who fill your days.

Quote of the Day:

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

-Theodore Roosevelt