Hello. How’s it going? Howdy do? Hey. What’s up? Good to meet you. My name is ______. I’m a _____. I work at _____. I do _____. I’m from _____. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good night. Glad to see you. So… Long time no see. How are you? How are things? Where’ve you been? Hugs. Kisses. Pats on the back. Smiles.
Smiles prompted easily. I think of you and smile. I see you and smile.
The one who needs no one is no one at all. We are innately social creatures, some moreso than others, but there is within each of us a place fertilized only by the touch of others. I see you and I smile. I cannot help myself. For the moment I know I’m not alone and I feel safe. A little more whole.
It springs from the look of my lover, the sound of the door unlocking and her entry into our home. It comes from the sight of a friend descending the stairs to let me in. It rises from those times when I smile at a stranger, hold the door, say “thank you” or “good morning”. A wave to my neighbor. We share space and acknowledge it, and the world and the day improves.