As simple as it may sound, saying "hello" can create friendships that one would never imagine. Sometimes the smallest things in life can create the biggest memories.

At a track meet earlier this season, a few of my fellow teammates and I noticed several people rolling down a hill in the distance. Because this was a track meet and we were surrounded by competitive runners, we quickly realized that this was not your typical ‘kids rolling down a hill for enjoyment’ type thing. These unknown runners were having a full blown rolling relay competition.

After watching in amusement for a few minutes, one of my teammates suggested that we join in on the competition. Several people, including myself, were hesitant of this suggestion because we thought it would be awkward to intrude upon their game. “It can’t hurt to say hello,” exclaimed my teammate, being her typical fearless self. In a burst of energy she took off running in the direction of the hill, leaving us no choice but to follow.

As we approached the hill, we began to recognize the identities of the hill-rollers. My teammates and I were all in shock when we realized that we were about to ask some of the fastest runners in the state if we could join their game. Not intimidated by these super speedy people at all, my daring teammate called out “Hello! Can we join your hill rolling competition?” Happily, the group of hill-rollers accepted our request and we formed teams for the competition.

Afterwards we all started talking and for the rest of the track meet we didn’t leave each other’s sides. It has been many months since this occurred and we all have become very close friends since then. Never in a million years would I have thought that these well known runners would end up being some of my closest friends. If my undaunted teammate wouldn’t have forced us to say hello on that particular day, then I would be out several amazing friends.

It’s crazy to think that one word can make such a huge difference in a person’s life. As long as you don’t let fear get in the way, everyone has the power to say hello. You never know what might come out it, so why not take a chance? Sometimes you only get one shot to make a new friend, so maybe the next time you are at a track meet and see some strange people rolling down a hill, say hello...they could be the fastest runners in the state if you are lucky.