Walking my dog today, I saw two young men approaching with their own dog on a leash, and a puppy cuddled in the arms of the other man. I moved my dog out of the way ahead of time to make ample space for them to get by us. I'm always wary around men in general and young 20something men. Anyway, I managed an acknowledging "hi" and "sweet dogs." Well, they got chatty, told me the history of their two puppies, etc. The one holding the youngest puppy so protectively and gently in his arms really warmed me.
It made me happy that the three of us allowed ourselves to be neighborly in our chat. It kept my hypervigilance in check.