Are We Too Cold to Strangers?

My granddaughter posted a comment on Facebook that got me thinking.  A stranger on the street said hello to her and she took it as harassment.  Now, I don't know the specifics of this encounter but I remember an incident in my own past that somewhat mirrors this one.  I, an Ontarian, was visiting a small town in New Brunswick for the first time.  As I was walking alone down the main street, a man passed by and said hello to me.  Again, being from a large city in Ontario where this is uncommon, I felt as though he was trying to pick me up and didn't respond.  Over time, I learned that not every hello from a stranger is harassment.  Sometimes it's just a little ray of friendly sunshine in an otherwise cold and lonely world.

My granddaughter is a pretty young lady who often is legitimately harassed when she's out walking and that may have made her more sensitive to a stranger speaking to her.  But every young lady should be able to differentiate between true harassment and a simple, friendly hello.

Sometimes that friendly hello from a stranger might be the only kindness a person hears all day.