What can I say?

That is a question that plagues many of us. We fear getting into conversations with people, because we aren't always entirely sure what to say. What do I say to the stranger who just walked in to church and sat down beside me? What do I say to the friend whose father just had a stroke?

In my pretty much all-time favorite movie, You've Got Mail, there is a scene where Meg Ryan (aka Kathleen Kelly) is buying groceries and she recognizes Tom Hanks' character, Joe Fox, at the grocery store. She dodges around trying to keep from bumping into him and not letting him see her, because she wants to avoid talking to him. When she is ready to check out, she whips out her credit card only to be told rather rudely by the cashier that she is in a "Cash Only" lane. She apologizes and begs to be allowed to pay by credit card just this once. All the while, she is trying not to make a big scene hoping that Joe Fox won't catch sight of her. The shoppers in the lane behind her and the cashier are all upset with her, until Tom Hanks (aka Joe Fox) comes along with his charm and wit to rescue her. He even gets a smile out of the cashier and gets the backlog of upset customers behind Meg in the "Cash Only" lane satisfied to be moving forward again.

I'm somewhat similar to Meg Ryan in this scene at times. I'm not outright rude to people, but sometimes I let either my busyness or my fear of not knowing what to say to people keep me from reaching out to them. I dodge around and try not to make eye contact to avoid having to talk to them.

My friend, Casey, is a lot like Tom Hanks' character in that scene. He likes to engage people in conversations. He reaches out to people and interacts with them. Whenever we eat out, he introduces himself and everyone at the table by name to the waiter or waitress. He makes funny faces at the children sitting at the table across from us. He's even been known to roll down his window at a stop light to have brief conversations with people in the lane beside us. Casey loves to go grocery shopping and ask random shoppers (not store associates) where various items can be found, because it's an opportunity to interact with people. One lady even joined us in our quest looking for chives in the produce section at HyVee. Casey doesn't let fear of not knowing what to say, or being afraid of getting into a conversation about something that he doesn't fully understand stop him from interacting with people. Casey doesn't let self-consciousness keep him from reaching out to others. And because of this he makes a difference in people's lives. I've seen somber children's eyes light up in a smile at his goofy faces. I've seen people who don't even know him laugh outright when he pulls up beside them in his car and pretends to be veering into another lane. I've seen Casey get an education on the design of a particular car, because he stopped to talk to someone who was working on a vehicle in his driveway. I've seen him make a friend in the line at Chipotle, because he teased the guy about a pretty girl sitting at one of the tables. Unconventional for sure. But Casey touches people's lives. He can make someone's day just a little brighter, because he's not afraid to engage in conversation and he's not too busy to say hello.

Let's face it. You can create opportunities to make a difference in people's lives by coming out of your shell and opening up your mouth. It takes very little effort, but it can make such a huge impact. It can bless others, but it can also bless you.

So...what CAN I say? Well, I've been told that the best place to start is often at the beginning. So why not start with "Hello..."?