ed, ignored or unappreciated.
Yesterday, I challenged myself to speak to as many strangers as I could in a short period of time. I complimented4 them, I chit-chatted, or I simply said “Hello!” And I said, “Thanks, my friend.”
This idea came about because of the story I had recently written, I wish you enough. My focus was on how difficult it is for me to say “Goodbye.” The response to that story was simply amazing. Some people wrote to me to share regrets over lost opportunities to tell someone goodbye. Some wrote to thank me for making them more aware. Some adopted5 the idea and promised to start using the phrase, “I wish you enough,” whenever they said so long.
I am asked many times how I get to meet so many wonderful people. It’s simply because I say “Hello” first.
The final line in the piece I wrote says, “I wish enough ‘Hello’ to get you through the final ‘Goodbye’...”
So my “Hello Day” was created to make the final goodbye easier, knowing that so many people have touched my life.
My first day at the mall was a success. After telling the maintenance6 man he was doing a great job, I walked over to the lady who served me my slice of pizza and told her how incredible it was. Her face lit up and her smile was worth the cost of lunch. I’d pay to see it again.
I then walked over to the newsstand. Buying a pack of gum, I scrambled to find something to say. Looking down, I saw a counter display for an herbal energy bar that said. “The herbal bar that works”.