Sam, great piece and really appreciate you including my article. I agree, these small gestures or greetings do create a sense of community and shared space, one of the reasons I genuinely look forward to my runs. Ironically (perhaps), there have also been times when making eye contact and acknowledging the presence of someone who appeared threatening actually made me feel safer. Like a, “Hey, I see you and I know that you also see me” kind of thing. I hope readers take your Rules of Engagement to heart!