Today, we went to the mall in search for strangers to greet.  Ali and I ended up saying hello to twenty people each, which means that we greeted forty people!  It was surprisingly awkward and difficult to come out of our shells and speak to someone we didn't know.  Most people seemed to be taken aback or even uncomfortable... with a mere "hi!"  Several times, my target would look me up and down and walk away without even saying hi in return. 

It saddened me that our nation has become so turned off to friendliness that even a mere greeting is taken as offensive or startling.  I plan to make it a habit to greet strangers more often.  This stiffness needs to end.

Me: So Ali, what did you learn from today?

Ali: It was just kind of different.  People aren't used to others saying hi to them, and so sometimes we'd get strange looks, and other times, I would wonder whether someone heard me or not or if they just ignored me!  A few times we got "hi"'s back, but most of the time, people just smiled and walked away.  It makes me want to change that, and I want to start saying hi to strangers more often and be more friendly.  I mean, I consider myself a friendly person already, but this showed me the opposite!

Me: So how do you plan on changing this? 

Ali: I plan on smiling and saying hi to people more often and caring for strangers, just by saying hi.

We learned a lot from merely saying hi to strangers.  What were your experiences from today?

Today's challenge was easy.  My best friend, Ali, will also be participating in this thirty day challenge. 

We went to a gas station in a poorer side of town, determined to find people to smile at and show kindness.  I turned around and smiled at the lady behind me in line.  She was thin, wrinkled, and wearing worn clothes.  She seemed stressed out to purchase even her Coke.  When I smiled at her, she looked up at me with weary blue eyes and seemed to hesitate, as if she was unused to friendliness of any kind.  While the lady seemed taken aback by my bright smile, she didn't seem to mind.  I wonder if my friendliness made her day.

Ali: "I smiled at the cashier. She looked like she was having a bad day, so I thought I'd brighten her day, and it brightened mine."

Me: "Could you tell if she seemed happier after you smiled at her?"

Ali: "Mmm-hmm!"

What is your story for today?  I would love to see a picture of your beautiful, genuine smile.  Tell me about today's challenge.  Did you make someone's day?  Did your target smile back at you?  Did they ignore you?  Who did you choose to bestow upon your smile?

Stay tuned to read about tomorrow's challenge!