A Lesson In How to Over Analyse Everything

The oddest thing happened last night. Well, it was odd insofar that I was supremely taken aback by a small event that I am simply not accustomed to.

I was on my ritual stroll along the coast from Grange to Henley Beach and back, in where I start at around Grange Road and waltz down to the Henley Hotel (or thereabouts… sometimes further) and then back again. This usually takes me about an hour or so.

Yes, I know that describing landmarks to those of you who are possibly from out of town is ultimately pointless, but I figure that most of the readership of this blog are either from around here, or are non-existent (judging from the lack of comments, I’m guessing moreso the latter). Needless to say, it’s a few kilometres worth of strolling.

Usually by the end of the round trip, I’m quite flustered, tired and ready to go straight home for a bourbon and a lie-down. It is also quite a bit darker, now that Daylight Savings has finished.
So, I was finishing up my walk, the area was poorly illuminated by the deep amber glow of the row of street lights around Grange. I noticed another figure coming from the other direction. Naturally, I moved over a little so that this person could pass with little hindrance from my admittedly stick-thin frame. Although it was mostly dark, I could tell that this figure was of the fairer gender, so me being a male, I thought I’d sneak in a quick perve. Hell, it was darkish, so it wasn’t like she was going to pole-axe me with a vicious glare if she busted me.

Anyway, I sneak a quick glance, she busts me and exhales a hesitant, "Hi."

Now most of you are probably wondering what the hell is so odd about someone greeting a fellow bipedal traveller on a humid March evening, and the only answer I can give you is an emphatic:

"Fucking everything!!!"

Breaking the ice has predominantly been the realm of the male, hence why God invented the pick-up line. For this ice-breaking role to be handed over to the female of our species is to take away our rights to make an arse of ourselves, whilst also giving females another option that serves only to keep us on our toes!

I mean, where does she get off catching me off-guard with such a pleasantry? Have we, as a society, regressed so far that people can just go around greeting each other with polite manners willy-nilly? What the hell is wrong with people of today? Don’t they realise that politeness, chivalry and general all-round goodwill has gone the way of the dinosaur/dodo/Dido?

Anyway, let’s look at this another way.

It was dark. In all likelihood, she probably mistook me for someone she knew, and the "Hi" accidentally slipped out.

But, let’s comprehend something so stupid – and this is probably more the point of this entry – let’s assume that she was being polite and friendly. She made a pleasant passing comment to a fellow traveller, subsequently putting her ego out there, risking that she might look foolish to be greeting total strangers. This is an admirable thing to do, and being admirable makes you an interesting person in my books. She could’ve been full of thoughts pertaining to life, with a unique outlook on people’s behaviours and why they would feel so confronted by a simple greeting – a scintillating conversation that easily burns up an hour or two.

So what do I do? What did I do when a nice looking, friendly girl greets me in the street?

Say nothing. Keep walking…

*slams head onto keyboard repeatedly*