Comments on: The power of recognition

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:18:26 +0000

In reply to Patti. You REALLY notice the difference when you have those extremes. I moved to the Denver area from Texas. Texans are VERY friendly. Denver people take a while to warm up to you. They won't be mean and will help if you ask, but they aren't as friendly as Texas or Washingtonians by any means. Took a while to adjust.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:16:43 +0000

In reply to Steph (@ 20 Years Hence). It sure adds to the experience, and it's so fun to see someone physically change just because you smiled or waved.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:16:02 +0000

In reply to Franca. Very true! And sometimes it's just fun to mess with people's head. lol

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:15:29 +0000

In reply to Tamara. Yes, making a connection is often much easier than we realize for sure!

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:15:06 +0000

In reply to epul. I love that saying! How beautiful!

By: Patti

Patti — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 07:32:09 +0000

We lived in a HUGE city in CA for over 30 years and for the last 2 years of our time in the city we lived right smack in the heart of the downtown. Although I never felt particularly unsafe – I usually found that 9 out of 10 people passing by on sidewalks never made eye contact. Three years ago we moved to a small town in southern OR and we walk pretty much everywhere. For the first 6 months we lived here it caught us off guard every time we passed someone and they smiled and said good-morning. We love it, they won us over easily and now we’re guilty of smiling and acknowledging everyone we pass. And now, when we pass someone and they don’t make eye contact, I think, “How rude!” 😉

By: Steph (@ 20 Years Hence)

Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 07:18:54 +0000

Great post, Talon. I’m generally a shy/introverted person so it’s not my default setting to interact with people unless they make the first move, but I’ve seen, just as you have, how far a smile can get you. Whenever I feel out of my element, whenever I catch the eye of a local who is staring at me with confusion and curiosity, I give them my biggest brightest smile because sometimes that’s all you’ve got. I’m also trying to be better about saying hello to people in the local language, even if we’re just passing them on the street and will never see them again. These connections are what make travel (and really life) worthwhile and it’s pretty incredible to see where a little bit of kindness can get you.

By: Franca

Franca — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 20:35:52 +0000

Nice post Talon! It really takes no effort at all to smile a little bit more. I totally agree with you, it makes a huge difference and a big impact to whoever we might meet on our way 🙂

By: Tamara

Tamara — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 17:55:24 +0000

What a great reminder that it takes very little effort to make a big impact on someone else’s mood. It also made me think about how making connections with people is often easier than we think. Thanks for this thought-provoking post.

By: epul

epul — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 11:34:30 +0000

Lovely post, Talon. Where I come from, people say “senyum itu sedekah” which basically means to give a smile is something charitable. How amazing is that saying in relation to what you wrote. Smiling does make people feel better, in some ways. And it makes the person giving it look so much more attractive.