When I first came to college, I didn’t think I would fit in.  My reasoning wasn’t dependent upon whether or not I was friendly, but I was worried that others wouldn’t be as friendly as I am.  I come from the Midwest where people will have conversations with you not because they are trying to make conversation, but it is generally because they care.  Well, I discovered very quickly that Boston is not the Midwest and people don’t generally walk up to you on the street and ask you somewhat randomly how your day was.  However, Boston is just like any other place out there: Friendly people exist here.  The only difference between the Midwest and Boston is that you have to be the one to initiate the friendliness.  If you are having a bad day, then people will leave you alone.  If you are having a good day, people will be receptive to a cheery attitude.  I have a poem that illustrates this fact very simply:

The main point of my post today is that wherever you live, you have to be the friendly person in every equation.  If you  take the initiative to show others you mean no malice to them, then they will be more receptive to you.  I think that many people in Boston fear the unknown and for that could be labeled as “shy”; however, I posit that Bostonians are not so shy as much as they aren’t always sure of a stranger’s intentions.  Although this Boston attitude can carry some good for the individual, the fact remains that life was made to explore what’s out there.  Life is an adventure and the more people you meet, the more exciting it can become.  Also, God wants us to connect with others.  He wants us to use the gift of gab that he gave us to communicate friendliness across all lands, and he wants us to use our smile to provide sunlight to someone’s day that looks grim.  So, I urge you to go out and be as friendly as possible.  Who knows where that friendliness will take you?  Go forward on life’s journey and prosper others and you will be prospered in return.