Today, on my way home, as I passed the shop, one of the men who works there looked at me - my face, not my rear - and said, "You have a good weekend." It was not a derogatory comment, it was not loaded with innuendo, it was one person who has recognized another person walking by on many occasions wishing that person a pleasant weekend. I replied, "You, too," as I continued walking. Not sarcastically. Exchanging politeness for politeness.
When I was about a half of a block away, I thought to myself, "Yes! That's how you do it!" There has been so much talk recently about street harassment and the objectification of women and microaggressions and whatnot and a lot of men seem to think that hollering at a woman about her physique as she walks down the street is a compliment. They honestly don't understand why it makes her uncomfortable and then they get frustrated that their attempts to find a lady friend are often unsuccessful. And there has been talk about how to talk to women that makes it sound like women are of a completely different species and we have to be treated with the utmost care, like wild animals that will bite your head off at the slightest provocation. Honestly, I think those articles do just as much harm as good. Women are not crazy, irrational, bloodthirsty creatures from another planet. We're people. Just like men are people. Interact with us like we're people. Which is exactly what this man at the gas station/auto body shop did today. He wished a person he recognized a pleasant weekend. No leering, no patronization, no fear, no walking on eggshells. Just looked at my face and said, "You have a nice weekend." That's it. That is all that is required to keep a woman thinking you're a crazy stalker pervert. Not so hard, right?
So to this man at the gas station/auto body shop, I hope you have a nice weekend, too. Keep doing what you're doing because you're doing it right.