Lessons from Walking About – 1: Acknowledging One Another

April 27, 2023 Roland Kuhl 0 Comments

Recently, I have started walking for extended periods of time to clear my head, for my health, to mediate as I walk about.  I am getting in the routine of walking about 30 – 45 minutes at a time, and sometimes twice a day.  As I do so, I am noticing things.

The first thing I am noticing is the importance of acknowledging one another.  As I walk along, I cross path with others and it is rare for another to respond to my saying “good morning” or “hello.”  It seems the older the person, the more apt they are to respond. 

I got to thinking how important it is to acknowledge another human being as I am walking along, whether they respond or not.  For a brief moment we occupy the same 10 – 16 square foot area as we walk by one another.  A “good morning” or a “hello” with making brief eye contact and offering a smile is a simple acknowledgment that I am aware of you and I acknowledging you.  It is more than simply confirming their humanity as with a reCapcha app where we are invited to confirm that we are not robots, but in fact human. 

I remember years ago, as I was started my doctoral studies on the campus of a theological seminary, that I noticed as I walked on campus people were not greeting one another, walking with their heads down, not acknowledging one another.  So, I decided to try to see if I could be a little different – an experiment if you will.  I began walking with my head up and when I approached someone, I would say “hello, how are you today?” and if they looked up, offered a smile with brief eye contact.  I started doing that everyday and what I began to notice is that some of the same people I saw everyday, they began to respond, say “hello” as well and smile.  By week’s end I noticed others initiating “hellos” as well.  It seems that acknowledging one another’s humanity liberates us to acknowledge one another more and more.

So, I encourage you, as you walk about – offer a “hello,” look at this other person coming your way and smile.  It may just lift their day. I know it lifts my spirit as I walk along and acknowledge them.