“A kind word is like a Spring day.”

- Russian proverb

Where I grew up in Canada, it was perfectly normal for strangers in the street to say hello to each other as they passed in the street. In fact if you didn’t say hello, people thought you were downright rude! How things have changed. I honestly can’t remember the last time a stranger said hello to me on the street – but I do it myself from time to time, hoping I might start a new trend.

It’s not just a Barcelona thing, or even a ‘big city’ thing. People seem to be more interested in making friends with strangers on Facebook, not the ones right on their doorstep. I’ve always been a big believer in making friends with your neighbours. But these days, more and more people don’t even know what their neighbours look like! We’re becoming more and more isolated from one another.

Modern life is making strangers of us all. Sometimes I see people on the street who look like they haven’t had a kind word spoken to them in years. Elderly people, forgotten by their families. Homeless people, invisible and ignored. It takes so little to acknowledge someone – a nod, a smile, a wave, a word. For all you know, that tiny bit of human interaction could make a bigger difference to someone’s day than you’ll ever know.

Will you help me revive the lost art of saying hello? This week, let’s all say hello to one stranger a day. Your neighbour. That woman you see on the bus every day. That man who looks like he’s all alone. If we all start doing it, it just might catch on.