Often on my daily neighborhood walk, I pass a woman and her dachshund, who used to bark at me frantically. I found it irritating. One day, on a whim, I decided to go beyond our customary nods. I asked her how I could make friends with her dog.
“Oh, Petey gets upset when he sees people wearing hats,” the woman said. “It’s just too tiring to tell everyone.” Because more people wear headgear in winter, she went on, it’s a hard season for Petey.
That was enough to make me fall in love with that dachshund. Now, when I spot Petey in the distance, I quickly pull off my hat. It’s become a bit of a game for me. I can honestly say that if I’d never chatted up this woman, my daily walk would be a lot less fun.
Today’s exercise is to talk to someone you don’t know well. Or to a total stranger. Or to both.
Happiness Challenge Day 3: Chat up someone you don’t know.
As often as you can today, advised Bob Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of the new book “The Good Life,” “seek out and notice opportunities for friendly moments of uplift.”