The Ten-Foot Rule
Over the past few days, we've talked about noticing who is missing, giving someone five extra minutes, celebrating the good, listening to one another's stories, and always leaving room for one more.
Today I'd like to make things even simpler.
Imagine if we adopted one tiny community habit throughout NDG:
The Ten-Foot Rule.
Whenever another person comes within about ten feet of us, we acknowledge them.
That's it.
Not necessarily a conversation.
Not an introduction.
Not even words every time.
A smile.
A nod.
A wave.
A simple:
“Good morning.”
A little signal from one human being to another:
I see you.
We Have Become Very Good at Passing One Another
Think about how many people we pass in an ordinary day.
In the hallway.
On the sidewalk.
At the grocery store.
In the elevator.
At the bus stop.
In the park.
At the gym.
We can be surrounded by people and still move through the world almost entirely alone.
Eyes down.
Lost in thought.
Rushing somewhere.
And there is nothing wrong with occasionally wanting privacy.
But imagine if the default culture of NDG became slightly different.
When our paths cross—
we acknowledge one another.
What Could Ten Feet Change?
Probably nothing dramatic.
And that is exactly the point.
A stronger community doesn't have to be built exclusively through dramatic gestures.
Sometimes it is built through thousands of tiny signals of belonging.
A smile says:
You are not invisible.
A wave says:
We share this place.
“Good morning” says:
For these few seconds, your presence matters to me.
Most encounters will end right there.
But occasionally something else happens.
“Good morning” becomes:
“Beautiful day!”
Which eventually becomes:
“I'm Ross. What's your name?”
And months later, that stranger isn't a stranger anymore.
Imagine the Difference in an Apartment Building
Imagine entering an elevator where nobody looks at anybody.
Now imagine entering one where somebody smiles and says:
“Good morning!”
Tiny difference.
Completely different feeling.
What if residents began greeting the people who clean the hallways?
The delivery driver?
The superintendent?
The neighbour from another floor?
The teenager who normally slips quietly past?
You don't need to become friends with everybody.
But everybody can be treated as though they belong.
Let's Teach Children the Ten-Foot Rule
Imagine children growing up in NDG learning that when they encounter another person, the normal thing to do is acknowledge them.
Look up.
Smile.
Say hello.
Say thank you.
Wish someone a good day.
Not because adults forced them to perform politeness.
Because they learned something deeper:
People matter.
Imagine those children becoming teenagers who still say hello to the elderly neighbour.
Then adults who greet the cashier.
Then parents whose own children watch them acknowledge the person sweeping the sidewalk.
Community culture travels from generation to generation through ordinary behaviour.
The Stranger Experiment
Here's something interesting to try.
Tomorrow morning, walk a few blocks and greet five people you don't know.
“Good morning!”
Watch what happens.
Some may barely respond.
That's okay.
Some will smile.
Some will say good morning back.
Some may look surprised.
And every once in a while, someone's entire face will brighten.
Perhaps nobody has spoken to them yet that day.
You may never know.
That's the beautiful thing about small kindnesses.
We don't always get to see where they land.
Today's A NuVo World Challenge
For one day, try the Ten-Foot Rule.
When someone enters your little circle of the world—
acknowledge them.
The person entering the grocery store.
The neighbour in the lobby.
The parent at the bus stop.
The person walking toward you on the sidewalk.
The cashier.
The cleaner.
The person sitting beside you.
Smile.
Nod.
Wave.
Say hello.
No obligation to go further.
But if a conversation happens naturally—
perhaps give it those extra five minutes we talked about a few days ago.
Imagine the Feeling of NDG
Sometimes when we talk about transforming a neighbourhood, we think first about what it will look like.
Better parks.
Wonderful community centres.
Beautiful streets.
Great transportation.
Healthy food.
All of those things matter.
But I also think about what NDG could feel like.
Imagine walking down the street and experiencing little moments of human warmth everywhere.
“Morning!”
“Bonjour!”
“Beautiful day!”
“How are you?”
“Have a wonderful weekend!”
A wave from across the street.
A smile from somebody you've never met.
Children learning that neighbours greet neighbours.
Visitors noticing:
“People are really friendly here.”
No government program can manufacture that.
No amount of money can purchase it.
It happens when ordinary people decide what kind of neighbourhood they want to live in—
and then begin behaving as though it already exists.
Perhaps that is how we create A NuVo World.
Not all at once.
Not someday.
Starting this morning.
Starting with the next person who comes within ten feet of us.
Look up.
Smile.
And say:
“Good morning.”
Because before we can become a neighbourhood that cares for one another, perhaps we first have to become a neighbourhood that sees one another.
A NuVo World — creating a NuVo, better world one day, one neighbour, one smile and one “Good morning” at a time.
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