Greetings... a common word and I've found a maybe not so common action. That's why I love my community, Beloit, Wisconsin. We are a city of greeters. And I am not talking about the ones Walmart hires to man their front doors. I am speaking of our every day lives. We make a point to greet each other on a regular basis. Walking down the street, in store aisles, strangers passing... actually lock eyes and acknowledge each other. As I travel, I make it a point to test other places' 'greetability pulses' and am often surprisingly disappointed. Cities and towns that I love to visit and explore, amaze me with their singularly focused citizens passing each other by. One of my little ' Francina's Calling!' life lessons bookmarks states 'Be open. Choose To Connect'. And Beloit is a place where we choose to connect. Thank God. Maybe it translates to a Wisconsin tradition, where else can we gather 80,000plus people in four square blocks, coexist passionately and civilly without one recorded incident of true disconnect? Sometimes I am hopelessly naive about the willingness of strangers to choose to connect. I was so pleasantly surprised one fine, sun-shiny May day in Manhattan. I was just plain happy strolling down 38th street and about fell over when a man sitting on a stoop said aloud to me 'Hey, how ya doin'!.' Just as I smiled back at him and started to reply, I heard him say next 'What time are you comin'?" which is when I noticed the Blue Tooth in his ear and realized he was not greeting me after all. Ever hopeful, I smiled at him and moved on. And continue to greet, in true Beloit fashion, one and all.
