Lily and I have been visiting the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge since 2005. When we first discovered the refuge the benches were new and the signs had not been added. We'd walk the trail and see no one. Yesterday, with the beautiful weather and school break we must have passed at least fifty groups of people.

I have written before how reluctant people are to make eye contact and say hello at a mall, in a store, even going in and coming out of church. I spent some time strolling up and down Hawthorne Boulevard near 136th a couple of weeks ago. While there, many people I passed on the sidewalk did look me in the eye and answer my greeting. Why? What makes that place different?

While walking at the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, soakin' up the vitamin D Lily said, everyone we passed, except two young men, said hello to us or answered our greeting. Many young women with their children, older folks, a few young men, groups of teenagers, a couple of artists, folks with cameras ... everyone seemed happy and friendly. We saw lots of smiles.

In a medical office, official office, DMV, Post Office etc., people tend to look past one another as if they fear eye contact. Men appear interested in the exact dimensions of square tiles on the floor, or how many dots are in the ceiling tile or ugly pictures on the wall. Then of course there is the cell phone, another reason to dismiss anyone who happens by.

What is this all about? Don't you find it at least a little strange that apparently everyone wants to be connected on the internet, but in person we are so standoffish? It is as if we need something to bring us together that the mall and most places don't seem to have. Why will more folks on Hawthorne Boulevard make eye contact and talk to you than those in the mall or a store or at church? What's going on here?

There is a seeming safety sitting at your keyboard or texting on your cell phone that makes whatever comes between us slip away. What comes between us when we're F2F?

A beautiful spring day certainly helped 98% of the people at the Tualatin Wildlife Refuge to be engaging and friendly, despite what we all looked like, if that matters.

Whether you know Jesus Christ or not, imagine him walking those dusty paths two thousand years ago. Do you think he carefully looked beyond the people he passed? How can we learn to accept one another, get along and eventually love one another if we can't start with eye contact and a brief hi, hello, how you doing?

So many people want to be managers; controlling this, that, other people. How about all of us strive to be leaders? We can start by being the first to say, "How's it going, nice day, cute dog, nice rig, beautiful baby, isn't Oregon great!" Come on, be a leader, can you do this at the DMV and make a difference in someone's life?