you too!

one of my new "improve yourself and love people" goals is to address people (a.k.a. strangers) as i walk by them, rather than doing my best attempt of avoiding eye contact, acting as if the person does not exist, just to save an awkward exchange of hellos.  my two go-to strategies of avoiding eye contact have been digging in my purse looking for some unknown object or simply the fake text message.  pretending to talk on the phone as if someone is actually on the other end of the line is simply too risky.  this strategy is not recommended. 

i am learning, after twenty-six years of living that avoiding eye contact can be just as awkward, if not more awkward, than simply saying, "hello."

tonight, my "improve yourself and love people" campaign paid off.  i was rewarded with a nice moment of laughter.  sure, that laughter may have been to myself as i walked to my car, but i enjoyed it anyway.

as i left the gym and walked to my car, this is the exchange i had with a lady who was walking into the gym:

me:  "hi!"
lady:  "oh hi.  sorry, i thought for a moment you were someone i knew."
me:  "oh, that's okay.  have a great workout."
lady:  "thanks.  you, too!"

apparently that lady doesn't know how to use the "you, too!" phrase.

in case you haven't heard the comedian, brian regan, make this joke, check out a quick clip: