Social greetings have an interesting function. Greetings on arriving and departing are among the first words one learns in a new language. These words smooth our social interactions in ways that are conventional and comfortable. “Hello” which might have evolved from the greeting “Hail” and is a relative new comer dating from the 1800s and became popular attached to its use as a telephone greeting. Goodbye in contrast is a contraction of “God be with you” and is in evidence in the 1600s. The origin of these terms is hardly in evidence to many users today. Few people now think when they say “go9odbye” that they are invoking God’s presence. Other greetings rise and fall in popularity. At the time I lived in Scotland we were surprised at “Cherrio” being used quite often. The Scots were equally startled that people often said “Have a nice day” at parting even from strangers. Fitting into a given culture and knowing what to say in interacting politely especially with strangers can bring a degree of confidence and comfort. I have known persons who did not observe such polite words. One man I knew years ago would simply leave when he felt the conversation was over. Initially this seemed abrupt and impolite. As I came to know him better it became obvious that he intended no rudeness. It simply did not occur to him that more might be expected. In other ways he was polite and even quite kind. Somehow this bit of conventional behavior was missed in his background and upbringing. Living in another culture outside the United States taught me how often I might cause offense without intending to do so. No doubt I do so even in my own culture. I am glad for anytime someone has overlooked my social mistakes and believed me to be better than I might have appeared.