Would it kill you to smile?

In my first year at the University of Alberta, I took an introductory Sociology class. As a first project, to weed out the lazy students, the prof asked us to break a social norm and then write about it. Once we had turned in our papers he invited some of us to talk about what we did. Some toilet papered dorms, others picked their nose in church, or held the hand of someone of the same gender and walked around a small town. 

It was a pretty challenging assignment for someone like me who is generally eager to please and doesn't like to rock the boat. I decided I would talk to every stranger I met on the elevator in a single day. If you haven't randomly talked to a stranger on an elevator for no reason, you should give it a try. Some people ignored me, some laughed awkwardly, some were nice, one invited me for coffee, it was funny and weird. 

I liked the assignment because it stuck with me. I still strike up conversations on the elevator just because. I also make a point of introducing myself to people in the coffee room or at stroller walk, as an example. It's fun because I'm interested in them. 

Toronto is not exactly known for being friendly, although I think it is. I've repeated this experiment here a few times. I keep it very simple, just smile and say 'hello'. Most people downtown are guarded, afraid of random attacks or begging. Here in BWV, most smile back and say hello. It makes me feel connected to my neighbourhood.

If you want to give smiling at strangers a try, I recommend starting on a sunny day (because no one is sunny on a miserable day) and use the morning (it's easier to say 'good morning' than 'hello' to random strangers). It helps to have an adorable baby in a stroller but it's not required. I think you'll like it.