I yelled at a fellow road warrior yesterday.  I don’t usually get angry with the folks I share the road with, but this guy really made me mad.  What did he do?

He didn’t return my “hello.”  It’s not the first time.  Yesterday was, however, the first day I turned around and yelled that I wish he would “JUST THIS ONCE!” say something back.

He & I have crossed paths hundreds of times on the Parkway over the past four years.  Each time I see him coming toward me, I call out a greeting.  Each time my greeting is met with silence.  Most days I shrug it off.  I greet everybody I meet: runners, walkers, cyclists.  It doesn’t matter who.  It’s the polite thing to do, we’re all neighbors, and we see each other all the time.  We all, for the most part, share an encouraging word with each other as we pass by.

So why was yesterday different?  Why did his silence yesterday trigger the angry response and not any of the times before?

I have no idea.