Hellos and Goodbyes

What ever happened to hellos and goodbyes? It seems to be a thing of the past. Young people today don’t have the time for it. They are looking down at their phones. I must be getting old.–I laugh as I write this because if you have to say you might be getting old, then you probably are. Let’s make time to say our hellos and goodbyes.

Greetings are small snippets of conversation, but so important. Our greetings tell the other person that they are important to us, that we value them, and we acknowledge them.

In this day and age, most people have a hard time looking others in the eyes as they are passing each other on the sidewalk, let alone giving a greeting. Although, I’ve learned recently that the Jeep and Harley Davidson communities greet each other while driving with a wave, which is pretty cool.

A Sign of the Times

My husband and I had dinner at a local establishment recently. We just wanted pizza and a couple of sodas. The gentleman at the register told us to just take a seat at a table, scan the QR code and put our order in. Ok, we can do that. He then came over and set our sodas on the table without any conversation and 15 minutes later a robot brought us our pizza! This place is also a self-serve tap house. You go up to the wall, insert a card next to a tap and pour yourself a beer or glass of wine. A unique concept and a great place really, but I miss conversations with a bartender.

The app asked us to pay for the pizza and sodas before we got our order, and also asked if we wanted to give a 20% tip! A tip? for what? There was little to no service given by a human being. No interaction, no hello, no welcome to the bar. No “thanks for stopping in and supporting our business.” Is this what our world is coming to?

Now, I understand it’s hard to get people to work these days, but that human interaction is priceless, especially if you want a tip. I wondered if that robot also came back out to clean the table.

Human Interaction

Life is too short. People come into our lives for a reason and a season. People need people. They need to feel appreciated and loved everyday by our greetings of hellos and goodbyes and all the fun conversations in-between.

Let’s give each other signs of welcoming. A wave, a handshake, or a hug, whatever you feel would make the other person feel welcome or loved. I am a hugger, but that’s just me. If we can’t do the easy stuff, how will we ever overcome the hard stuff? Life is full of hard stuff, tough conversations, and difficult situations.

There is a plaque on my wall with a quote from St. Teresa of Calcutta that is a reminder.

Never let anyone come to you without leaving happier.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Validation and self-esteem are important. Mental health is important. People feel good when they feel acknowledged, loved and appreciated. It all starts with a simple hello and a smile and ends with a goodbye and thank you.

Action Steps

My husband and I always greet each other with a “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” and end the day with a “Good night, sweet dreams, love you”. Anytime either of us leaves the house, it’s a kiss and “I love you”. The same goes for my children and grandchildren. Those you love need to know you love them.

When you enter your workplace, it’s good to greet your coworkers with a “good morning. How are you today? It’s good to see you.” When you are done for the day or leaving, repeat with, “Have a great evening”, or “See you tomorrow.” It doesn’t take but 15 to 30 seconds.

You can be the spark to someone’s day. Greet them with love and kindness. It starts with you and me. It’s a habit that you have to practice. Start small, but just begin. Put a reminder on your phone. Schedule it in your day. It only takes 21 days to make it a habit. Let’s get back to good habits of appreciating others. Don’t just show them, tell them, too.

God bless. Thanks for following along. I appreciate you. See you next week. –Barb