Hello!

     Has anyone noticed that people don't acknowledge people anymore? I mean just walking down the street...in everyday life. Maybe it's because MY life is so darn eventless that I'm abnormally hungry for contact with others, but I just can't seem to reconcile this.
    When I am walking and I pass someone, whether they are old, young, male or female, I make eye contact (or try to) and nod, uttering something like, "hello" or even just, "hey!" But, more often than not, I get no reply, just a blank stare that I take to mean, "We have nothing to engage about, please keep your comments to yourself." I'd even say that, if someone felt this way, it'd be OK to say just that. At least it would leave no doubt. It's very disheartening.
    I try not to take it personally, but how else should I take it? How much effort am I asking for here? I'd be satisfied with a nod, a grin, or even just a grunt...to let me know that I'm not invisible. I'm not talking about people on cellphones here...those people, I simply ignore since I believe they, in essence, aren't really present. I'm talking about congeniality, pure and simple . Are we so caught up in our own little worlds that we can't be pleasant to each other?
     This gets so far under my skin that lately, when I approach someone, I give myself a little pep talk right before the moment of truth. "Don't do it, Vince...you'll just be left hanging in the breeze...this person doesn't want to wave...don't wave! Don't! Oh, you jerk! She walked right past you with your hand in the air, while she made a big demonstration of reaching for her car keys. You fool! You loser...Oh,yeah, right...make like you meant to scratch your ear! You are so pitiful."
     This is what it has come to...me chastising myself over a simple How-Di-Do.
     Does anyone else notice this stuff? I really hope so, otherwise I must begin the long and painful trek into therapy. And then, how will I greet Dr. Roth? With my luck, my therapist will also respond poorly to How-Di-Do?