Have trouble meeting people's eyes?

[Jet]

I grew up in the South (Tennessee) where everybody waves at everybody...if you are out in your yard, people walking by wave or say hello...walking down the sidewalk, people smile and say hello, meet another car on a rural road, and both drivers wave at each other. Go to the store, and the clerk was genuinely friendly. I always thought it was a Southern thing (and that does have a lot to do with it). The pace is slower, values seem a bit more down to earth, and people seem to value conversation with strangers more.

 

Now that I live in Florida which is a big melting pot of people from everywhere, I don't see the courtesy or friendliness as much. I walk my dog and see people on the sidewalk and they will pass like you are not even there. Everyone is in such a big rush all the time, to do what I don't know. People don't seem to value other people as much. It is more like other people are an inconvenience and a waste of their time. Perhaps it is because the area is so diverse that people are uncomfortable around people who aren't just like them and don't know how to interact with people who are "different" from them.

 

I find that humor is a good way to break the ice when around strangers. A lot of people have mentioned the elevator. When I ride in the elevator such as in a hotel or office building, I try to stand near the buttons and I'll ask people what floor they want as they enter (as a courtesy and it gives me something to do). Then when we get to a floor and the door opens, I'll say something like "4th floor, ladies undergarments" or "6th floor, whips, chains, and leather accessories". That usually gets a chuckle out of most people. Some people will even thank me for being their tour guide.

 

Jet

[peaceofthesouls]

independent on the person

what mood they are in

or if they are from city

or if they look

hard and sad inside