'Ello poppet!

Interaction with real people is something that plagues me on daily basis.

I suppose that's a tad dramatic, but I'm talking about people I don't know. Strangers, one may call them. Why are they called strangers? Are they strange? Who are they stranger than? Maybe this is an issue with definitions of words changing over time. My favorite of which is "awesome." Yeah! Awesome man! But I like to use it in the sense that something inspires awe (which, according to Google, is a "feeling of reverential respect mixed with wonder or fear"). Suddenly all of these people saying awesome is so much more intense!

This is not the point though. I was a very shy child, and it took a lot of time for me to be able to approach strangers and have a conversation. (Having a job REALLY helps with this.) Now, the feeling of human camaraderie is something I try to achieve every day. But since I am still not the most outspoken and extroverted person, my daily challenge goes something like this:

(at the grocery store)
OK Emily. You're going to pass the guy with samples of food soon. He's probably going to offer one. What  do you say? What do you say?! You're really close now! He's taking a breath, he's going to--

Him: "Good morning!"
Me: "Hi!" OK, that was the easy part.
Him: "Would you like to sample our freshly made salsa? It's made right in the store, and it's organic!"
Me: "No, thank you." Gahhhh why did he ask me?

And here's why I'm afraid of strange social interaction when it goes beyond "hello." Everything starts out great, each person is positive, because there's nothing negative about a "hello" (unless you say it really creepily, don't do that). After a "hello," there is either a statement offered ("it's so lovely today!") or a question asked ("isn't it lovely today?"). This prompts yet another response, which puts stress on the receiver of the offering, and at this point my heart is beating so hard I'm surprised the other person doesn't see my whole body heaving with anticipation.

HOWEVER, if I am the one saying "hello" first, then there is a smaller chance of questions being thrown at me.

Me: "Good afternoon!"
Stranger: "Why hello."

Lalala, we smile and go along with our lives.

I'm not saying that having a conversation with someone at the grocery store is a bad thing, or something to be avoided. I'm not saying that asking about your neighbor's dog because you heard it was sick is something that should make you feel stressed out. I'm just weird, and if you battle shy-ness like me, I want to encourage people to at least say "hello." And if you're a social butterfly with the entire world, go make someone get out of their comfort zone by, for example, striking up some small talk and offering to reach for the orange juice on the highest shelf. (I'm pretty sure the orange juice is never on the highest shelf, but I'm really in the mood for orange juice and you get what I mean).

We're all just people. We all have struggles and passions and fears. We all feel alone at one point or another. Is it really that hard to believe that a simple greeting can change someone's day for the better?



TL;DR: Go say hi to someone you don't know today! We are all furless, two-legged creatures, so let's acknowledge our fellows. :)