The smiling idiot

I grew up in the Midwest.  Living in upstate NY has been a culture shock to say the least.  I felt numb and dumbfounded for a good year, before I was able to really find my place here.  In the middle of the country, people smile.  A lot.  At everybody.  It would be rude not to.  Making small-talk is simply what you do with anyone you come across.  Cashiers, waitresses, bank tellers, your neighbors, children, senior citizens...everybody.  Eye contact is important as well, along with the smile.

I still walk around smiling at any person I come across.  And 99% of the time, as long as they don't know me, I get a blank stare back.  Sometimes cashiers don't even bother to look up, let alone say anything other than my total.

It took me a while, but eventually I realized that there are many nice people here.  People just need to know you a bit, before they warm up to you.  Usually people look surprised when I am near them, in an elevator or waiting room, and start talking to them.  I do my smile thing, push down my anxiety, and often they warm up soon after. 

It's sort of my mission these days.  Let people I encounter know I care (or at least wonder if I do) about them.  Which I do care, actually.  I do sometimes wonder, however, if people think of me as the smiling idiot.