Jenny day 3

Smile
Date: 11/02/10

I am, by nature, a very shy person. When I walk down the street I stare at the floor with my hands in my pockets. I find it difficult even to make eye contact with anyone. So while I was out doing my previous act I decided to try to smile at every person I passed. As a belated addition I made sure I had the exact change at the train station, as I know most people use notes and that annoys them.

Reactions: In the end I passed very few people, some of whom were doing my usual avoiding-eye-contact routine. But I did manage to greet and smile at a couple of people, who seemed surprised but smiled back. A few days later someone smiled at me on the street and it really made my day, so I like to think I made some sort of a difference. And I got no real reaction from the man in the ticket office, but that’s only to be expected, really. They’re so busy.

Would I do it again? Yes, when I can muster the confidence!
Cost: Nothing.
Effort: Only what it took me to get over my fear of people.
Time: A few seconds.