As I walked past, Gary yelled up to me from the parking lot. He was waiting outside while his wife was in the doctor's office. He was really excited about my walk and wished me the best of luck.
Almost all of my direct interactions with other people on this trip have been positive, like this one. If you've been reading this blog, you know that.
But I do sense a lot of suspicion and unfriendliness from people as well. People glaring at me, not returning my waves. The thing is, none of this is worth reporting; the negative stuff tends to be non-events. And, of course, I could be wrong about these people. Maybe they didn't wave back because they didn't see me, or maybe they did and I didn't see them, or maybe they were just really focused on driving and not hitting me. I'll never know for sure.
Kind people tend to be outward-reaching, while the suspicious ones withdraw themselves. Thus the kind people will always be over-represented on this blog, because they're the ones engaging with me and giving me something to talk about. And making my trip as wonderful as it has been so far.
Day 26
The Kindness Bias, or: There’s More To The Picture Than Meets The Blog
April 21st, 2010
Amen.
Where were you walking that he yelled UP to you?
The parking lot was sunk several feet below the sidewalk.
I am officially standing up for introverts being nice people also.
Happiness is an approach emotion. Fear is a withdraw one. I just cracked an egg of research knowledge all over your head, but you seem to have intuited it already.