here in pdx, i actually have had to get used to saying hello to everyone on the street or while hiking - lip smile alone won’t do it.

interestingly, the necessity of a verbal hello seems to decrease as your environment gets more dense and urban, moving from verbal hello and smile to lip smile to full-on ignore. Must depend on the frequency of interactions.

i like saying hello, though. it forces you to confront the other person’s humanity which, in an age where everyone self-selects their environments (driving, cocooning in homes, interacting only with friends), is probably more important than ever.

little hard to admit, but it’s almost fun, vaguely a thrill — interacting with strangers. :)