To You and You and You and You

A friend and former colleague has told people for decades that when we first started working together, she used to say hello to me and I ignored her. “I just thought she was stuck up!” she always ends. I dispute that memory: I’m shy, not stuck up, and so I probably never greeted her first, but I know if she had said something to me I would have responded. 

Even so, I realized years ago that the way to avoid any such perception of aloofness was to proactively greet folks, which I do regularly, especially early in the day. I love to say “Good morning” to anyone I see before noon. It was my habit to stand outside my classroom door and greet as many kids by name as I could, but also to smile and say good morning to all who passed.

But the satisfying specificity of that particular greeting doesn’t carry over to the afternoon or evening. Hey there and hello are fine when you know someone, but a little weird if you’re greeting strangers. Ciao works if you’re in Europe, but not so much walking the streets of Arlington, Va, and good afternoon and good evening are not very colloquial, either. 

In those situations I usually resort to a nod and a smile, and that seems to work. I wish I had a little more, though, because I really am friendly, despite what anyone says.