Smile at people everywhere you go. Don’t just give them one of those half-smirk/head nod things. Raise your eyebrows, show those teeth, and chuckle while you smile. Next time you’re at the store, give a full-hearted smile to at least three complete strangers. You’ll be amazed at what this does for them and for you.” ― Dan Pearce
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My visit here with Mom has been a mix of visiting with family and old friends. But, I’m always making new friends, too. Today, I had lunch with Linda. We’ve been girlfriends since freshman year of high school. ( A few years back…holy cow, almost 50, not quite.) We had a nice lunch and a nicer visit.
If you know me, you already know I talk to strangers, I smile at people, and I enjoy chatting and getting to know everyone.
This afternoon, I went out for my walk around Mom’s place. An elderly gentleman with a cane was out shuffling slowly on the same path going in the opposite direction. When I passed him the first time, I smiled and said, “Wow! It’s getting warm out here.” He nodded and agreed as I swished past. As I made my second loop, he had a camera out and was taking a picture of some trees, still on his first loop. He asked me how many times I went around. I told him usually around ten times. He said his pedometer showed each loop was 4/10 of a mile. On my seventh loop, I stopped to chat and introduced myself.
It was cute because he asked me how long I lived there. I explained I was visiting Mom. (It’s a senior facility. Granted, I could qualify, you only have to be fifty-five.) So, I took out a little time and broke my stride to talk to a nice gentleman.
This is my new friend Jim. He likes walking,taking pictures, talking to strangers, and doesn’t mind selfies. My kind of friend.
Toni Andrukaitis 
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