Note to Self: Things are more okay than they seem!

This morning I went for a beautiful September day walk. Along the road, I crossed paths with a dozen or more strangers, also enjoying the early sun. At each encounter, with little effort and broad smiles, we greeted each other effortlessly with:

“Good morning!”

I realized after the fifth or sixth time of this carefree exchange that most people, like me, are simply doing the best they can. Their initial, automatic, ordinary reaction to a stranger is to treat them like:

A neighbor.

Contrary to political portrayal, we are not all at each other‘s throats. Unlike the business model of modern media, most of us do not hover at the thin edge of an angry, screaming breakdown when dealing with strangers. The ordinary every one of us does not seek road rage, a conflict with the restaurant hostess, or to turn an airplane into a public political agenda venue.

Most of us are simply doing the best we can.

Every time I take a morning walk I realize that life is not at all like TikTok. Nor is it in reality as explained by the Sunday morning pundits nor the endless evening breaking news. We do not live in the world of sub-Reddit algorithms that collect together idiots in cars or public freakouts or facepalms.

In fact, the “real world” is decidedly the opposite.

The real world – the one that comes naturally to all of us and is visible if you simply go for a walk – is one in which most people say, “hello,” “thank you,” “yes please,” and most of all -

Good morning!

The secret and the solution is simply not to forget it.

#alwaysinspiring