When I took my first ever tour of USU, the day before I had to make a decision about where I was going to go to college, the tour guide, one of them ambassador people, told us about the hello walk. The Hello Walk is the sidewalk that starts at Old Main and extends across the majority of campus. The tour guide told us that day that it was named so because you can't walk along it without seeing someone you know.
That day I scoffed. I did not think that would happen. Because I didn't know people. I thought to myself that day that I would never say hello to someone on that walk way, because how would I know anyone in a school, of what, 5,000 people? There was no way on this green earth I was going to know anyone.
And that was the truth for most of my first year up on campus, I maybe saw two people I recognized on that walk. My prediction was coming true. (Also P.S. Davis people, they say USU is a second Davis, but I beg to differ. I've met more Morgan people up here than I've seen Davis people. That is somewhat changing because missionaries are getting back, but I don't see as many Davis Darts as we are all led to believe).
However, I forgot that being social, or trying to be anyway, leads to friends and to knowing people. I have been amazed in the last week and half as this new year has dawned, at the contrast between my two years.
This year there has not been a day where I didn't see someone I recognized on that little strip of cement. And a normal day consists of seeing two or three, and carrying on a couple conversations. This is a complete departure from my year last year, where I hardly knew anyone.
Now I see people everywhere I know and love. College has given me the greatest experiences in broadening my friendships and my horizons. I have friends from last year I'm still in touch with even though they live in D.C. I mean just last night we had a wonderful conversation about the Iran Deal. Which I realized I need to actually read (ahem, sorry Sam for the lack of good conversation).
The Lord works in mysterious ways my friends and He knew that I needed friends, and that I needed to be surrounded by good people and see them everywhere and everyday. He will look out for you too.
So the Hello Walk is for real, I actually say hi, and I try to look up and see the people and sites in front of me. I encourage you to do the same, because the prettiest things are often right in front of us, if only we take a moment to look up, and see.
