Acknowledging people’s presence is a pretty simple thing to do, however many fail. Make eye contact, then smile. But why don’t people respond? I find myself wondering why there are so many people who do not respond to a simple hello or a wave. I have been testing this out recently and I have come to discover some stuff that has surprised me.
In my new community, many people wave and say hello which I absolutely love. You can tell it is genuine. But there are also many that don’t. Some make eye contact and don’t say hello. I will say hi regardless. I will also wave. Certain individuals just don’t respond.
Many people seem to just zone out and may not even realize it even if I wave. You never know what people are going through in their day-to-day lives. They may have lost someone dear to their heart or are just having a bad day. When we suffer loss we can just disconnect altogether. Do try to pay attention to that if someone doesn’t gesture back.
Also, another big one is that many people are on the phone via Bluetooth earbuds and you may not see it. This one happens to me a lot. I will put music on or be on the phone with my lovely girl and I will zone out. I had a gentleman not too long ago run up to me while I was out for my walk to chat with me because he was saying what’s up from a distance but I didn’t hear.
I have now removed one of the earbuds so that I can better hear the world around me. I now am more aware of the fact that if I see someone and I say hello and they don’t respond, I will afford the opportunity to myself to be more understanding. Not everyone is on the alert all the time. It may not be personal.
I now give people that I see on a regular basis an opportunity to respond to me saying hi or wave without taking it personally. I will give people 3 separate chances to respond and if they don’t then I just understand that they aren’t the type of people to wave back. Let’s say I walk today and I lock eyes with someone and then I wave and they don’t respond then I will go on my way. Then some other time may come up and I will do it again. I like giving people chances because again we don’t know what we don’t know. They may be going through bad times.
Keep in mind that a smile can go a long way in someone’s life. When you leave your home carry as many smiles as you can. Give them out throughout your day. Your smile can actually save someone’s life! Who knew right?! Have your life values in check.
Conclusion
Be engaging to others and greet people with a warm smile, hello, and a wave. It will go a long way for humanity. We need to keep doing this regardless of the results. Never give that up!
BONUS: Open the door for as many people as you can because it’s such a great feeling!
Question
What do you guys think? Does this happen to you as well? What do you do?
