this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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Yesterday.
And i make it a point to make sure i make everyone i meet feel heard and seen. So, i might wave at people collecting garbage, i make eye contact with the cassier en give them a warm smile, while wishing them a nice day. I might smile at random strangers in the street. I have had beautiful experiences doing this, and quite frequently people give me this startled look and then hesitantly smile back. And i do this sincerely, because i truly belief most people have a hard time already and i want to give them at least a nice moment in the day.
It makes life so much better. For people i meet and for myself as well.
Honestly, this can be very much be done and people crave it. People crave being noticed and affirmed and getting to engage with others on more than just a superficial level (as long as you respect their boundaries and recover if you faux pas at some point). People can be very gracious/graceful when someone reaches out to them in this way and will often "play-along" because I've noticed basically everyone refuses to be the first one to step out of their comfort zone and take a chance pal-ing around with a stranger but I can find a way to make most people comfortable and maybe even get a chuckle or 10.
Its been very good news for me and the good news for you is you can too, if only you do this ONE weird trick strangers love
yeah that would make me nervous
As long as its super toothy, its cool. Its cool to have teeth and the more, the merrier ๐ฌ
Usually, the nervous people won't make eye contact. And it's not really an 'in your face' contact i make, i try to be a bit subtle about it, if that makes sense. I never had anyone react as if it was unpleasant. For the record, it's not like i am this extravert person, i am very introverted and i had to learn this. But it was worth it.
Based