Fairhaven Man Asks the Question Every Walker Has Faced

Fairhaven’s Josh St. Germain is worried he may be overthinking the proper etiquette when encountering other people out on his daily walk, but in 2026, we overthink everything. Let’s get the man some answers.

The Question Every Walker Has Thought About

On Saturday morning, St. Germain went for a walk on the Phoenix Bike Trail in Fairhaven and posted a video on his Facebook page that asked the question anyone who has walked the path has thought before.

“So when you go for a walk on the bike path, and you pass somebody and say ‘good morning,’ and then 10, 20 minutes later, when you turn around and you’re going back, you see them again, also coming back, what do you do?” he asked.

St. Germain noted that saying “good morning” again would make it seem like he didn’t notice the person the first time. If he ignores them, he “kind of looks like an a-hole.”

He said he has “defaulted to the smile of recognition,” which he called “the awkward co-worker in the hallway smile,” but he wanted to know what people consider to be the proper etiquette.

READ MORE: The Unwritten Rules of Living in New Bedford

How People Handle the Second Encounter

There was no shortage of answers in the comments under his video.

Maureen commented, “I do the casual smile. Or I get awkward and say ‘hi again!’”

“‘What have you been up to since we saw each other last?’ Usually gets a smile,” wrote Charles.

“Little head nod on the second pass,” suggested Megan.

Brian thought avoidance was the best plan of action. “Pretend you are on your phone the second time you see them!” he said.

Meanwhile, John doesn’t see the point in saying anything in the first place. “Don't say anything either way,” he wrote. “This isn't the south where everyone is friendly. Just give them a scowl and move on.”

READ MORE: 10 Unspoken Rules of the Beach

What Etiquette Experts (and AI) Say

To find an answer to this conundrum, I searched a few etiquette websites, but none of them addressed this issue. I then figured what better place to turn when it comes to the complexities of human interaction than A.I., so I asked ChatGPT for the answer.

It had a few basic rules of thumb:

• Keep it lighter than the first greeting
• Don’t ignore them completely, which can be awkward or rude
• Avoid repeating the first greeting (you’ve already broken the ice)
• Match their energy and do what they do
• Try a little humor, such as “Guess we’re doing laps!” or “Round two!”

In the end, even our eventual robot overlord feels that a nod or a smile is all that is warranted.

“A quick nod or half-smile is the gold standard,” ChatGPT suggested. “Friendly, minimal, and acknowledges the shared moment without making it weird.”

I don’t know about you, but a simple nod would be good enough for me in either direction. What do you do?