Maybe I'm asking for too much, but why don't people give a smile or say 'Hello' while they're out and about? Don't get me wrong here, I'm not expecting people to stop what they're doing and share their daily goings on but a little bit of human interaction doesn't go a miss.
With everything going on right now, however depressing the world may be, it is worth the reminder that things aren't so bleak.
It doesn't take much to crack a smile so for a brief moment of your day you're interlocked in an exchange of pleasantry that doesn't have to be anything more than just blissful acknowledgement of another human being.
I was out this morning on my usual route, casually strolling through the park. It's fairly busy and there are the queues out the coffee van, people on the benches, dogs speeding around in states of what looks to be pure elation. Everything seems normal.
It isn't a particularly warm day over here, it is the end of March after all, but it's not bad. No rain or heavy winds to dampen the mood.
I'm strolling along and I don't have my headphones with me so I'm not listening to any music. The day is much like any other. Except for the one difference being that every person I walk by I make an effort to smile and say 'Good morning'.
The above paragraphs were written yesterday so today I went out for that walk.
My prediction of what the scenes would be were way off. It was raining earlier and there were heavy winds when I first left the flat but it did calm down while I was out. The sun actually came out towards the end of my walk in all its glory.
The coffee van wasn't there and the park was pretty quiet. I'm guessing that the rain put people off early this morning. One lone dog chasing after a stick on the green and a handful of couples on the benches.
Oh yes, I made an effort to greet people. That was correct. Not exactly the outcome I was expecting from it but what can you do. Most people looked at me as if I had just strangled their family pet in front of them. Some smiled back and some ignored.
I'm going to keep at it.
It is slightly disappointing but not something that's going to ruin my day. I wonder if it has something to do with where I'm living; maybe I just look like a lunatic.