Dear Reader:

I just happened to catch the tail end of Good Morning America yesterday before I headed out and the ensuing discussion, among co-anchors George, Robin, and news anchor Amy, caught my attention.

They were talking about the 5/10 theory concerning small talk and its importance in how we address other human beings. I sat down to listen a minute to see what this idea was about…

The premise was that (with the creation of IPads,  Iphones and other communication tech gadgets) people in a crowd or close proximity now see a way out of having to converse with strangers/ other human beings in close spaces. We see it all the time….I even wrote about this dilemma, not long ago, from what I witnessed in a doctor’s waiting room.

Using our IPhones to avoid eye contact and casual conversation with other human beings is truly detrimental to our own humanity. We are basically choosing to ignore another person’s existence by opting out of the situation with a quick glance down at our IPhone.

The five feet/ten feet idea being discussed was that if we are ten feet away from another person…we should make some kind of eye contact, even just a quick nod….a basic acknowledgement from one human being to another.

If we are within five feet of another person….we should enter a casual conversation which can be something as simple as a one statement comment….the content isn’t as important as the gesture…again acknowledging, on a deeper level, that we are both on this crazy journey through life, during the same time period, and I acknowledge you as a fellow journeyman.

Thirty percent of IPhone users admit using their phones to avoid (what they perceive as) awkward conversation starters. Admittedly, the younger the population, the more this habit is practiced….with age the IPhone is used less in public while eye contact and short conversations dominate these unplanned social encounters.

We can only hope that wisdom does come with age and at some point we understand how important it is to acknowledge our fellow human beings… who are existing in time with us on this one-way trip through life.

I have discovered that it is these unexpected conversations (throughout my daily life) that bring  laughter, empathy, and deeper understanding into the shared emotions of others… that define us as humans.

This topic was a lead-in to author Nicolas Sparks’ latest novel….Two by Two which hit the stands yesterday. (The story of a father-daughter relationship that re-defines the role of all of us as travel guide mentors for those following in our footsteps.) Sparks told the Good Morning America co-anchors that we all need someone to travel with through our lives.

They don’t, necessarily, have to be a “soul-mate” or spouse ….these co-travelers can be siblings, parents, children, friends….simply people who know you, understand you, and are there for you.

Which brings us full circle to the reason why it is so important to acknowledge the people we encounter in our daily routines…all of us can use a smile from a stranger, a joke, a pat on the back, or a nod of understanding and sympathy. We need to visually and orally let people know that each unique individual’s  existence is important….that they are not alone on their journey.

So until tomorrow….Let me be open to God’s calling as a messenger …to help another human when he needs an encouraging nod or smile to make his journey easier. We never know when the comment we make turns someone else’s life around…in the right direction.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*As more of the summer flowers begin fading from the scene…other blooms appear, seemingly from out of nowhere, to take their place…such is the nature of nature. *All the hybrid morning glories are now a beautiful, pure shade of white.