Thursday, February 1st, 2007
Hello. Goodbye.
It's cold outside. Really freaking cold. I live in an off-campus apartment about 6 blocks from the edge of campus, and, as parking is ridiculously expensive and few on the University of Minnesota campus, I typically take the bus to and from and around campus.
Let's face it. Being a bus driver, aside from sitting in a Recaro seat for 12 hours, probably freaking sucks. You deal with rude people, people who don't bath, people who talk to themselves, and more likely than not, criminals, on a typical shift basis. Because no one likes to sit out in the cold.
Now, before I get too off topic, I am not a morning person. I've been getting into a better pattern of getting up at six every morning. But no matter how crabby I feel, or how much I don't want to get going out in subzero weather at seven in the morning, even if the bus is late. I
always say hello to the bus driver, and thank them when I get off. Yes, I'm paying to use the bus, but they're also getting me to my destination.
It absolutely astounds me how very few people say "hello" to each other anymore. Is it so hard to say "hello" or "good morning" to someone? Sure, you don't go about telling strangers "hello", but anyone that you interact with you typically greet somehow. Why should it be any different? I'd say probably six out of ten times, the bus driver doesn't even say hello back to me, or even acknowledge that I said something to them. When I say "thank you" as I exit the bus, I don't often get a response, either. I do occasionally get the bus driver who says "good morning" and "you're welcome" to me, but it's few and far between. It really gets me in a slightly upset mood, and I carry that with me until I put it behind me.
This applies not only to buses, but to life in general. I have found that Americans are some of the most unfriendly people in the world. The French were more polite! Even drive through food places often say "May (Can) I help you?" rather than "Hello, welcome to <insert name>, how may I help you."
So this is just a thought, but say "hello" and "thank you" to someone tomorrow. It may seem insignificant to you, but it may make their day better than it was before. It almost always makes me feel good when someone tells me it.