Thursday, December 20, 2007

Goodwill Towards Fellow Walkers

During my wogs, it's inevitable that I pass people - or they usually pass me. If we pass going opposite directions, one of us will say hello or some such greeting, and the other will reply in a like manner. Sometimes the really serious runners will sort of grunt, since they are obviously on a mission, but that's another story. Today is about the man who took it a step further.

We were going in opposite directions. Neither of us were in a hurry, but we were obviously headed somewhere. As we passed, one of us started the usual greeting, then he continued with , "How are you today," and looked at my face for my answer. I said, "Great, thank you. How are you?" He said, "Great," and we both continued on our way.

What's the point of this story? In the same time it usually takes my perfunctory greeting, this person took it up a notch. By extending our encounter for a few seconds, we connected on a slightly deeper level. He didn't stop at the basic greeting; he asked for more. The result was a true connection of humanity, not just a fly-by.

I will probably never see this man again, nor would I even recognize him now. But I won't forget him, because for just a few seconds a total stranger treated me like a friend.

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