Do you have a Hello Phobia?

I guess because I grew up in Wyoming, I may expect a little too much friendliness from folks.  As a kid, I remember tooling around in my dad's pick-up truck and waving at anyone who passed by us on the same dirt road.  I also remember walking down Main Street in Lander, Wyoming at Christmas time and giving each person who passed a hearty "Merry Christmas!" or "Howdy!"

In my adulthood, I'm discovering that certain people appear to have the "Hello Phobia."  They either don't know how to say "hi" or just don't want to.

Two instances: When I worked in Indianapolis, I always said "hi" to the people passing me in the hall and usually made small talk about the weather.  There was a certain co-worker of mine that I always said "hi" to, and in return, I got nothing.  In 3 years she never said "hi" back once.  It became a fun little game to see how she'd ignore me on any particular day.

This week I'm in Florida (lovely!), and everyday I walk on the trails around my future in-laws house.  When I walk by someone, I say "hi", and get a very nice reaction from 90% of the folks.  But then the others look at me like I have a 3rd eyeball.  The "Hello Phobia" seems to be inherited too, because as I was passing a couple and their 8-year old son I said my hello, and the boy looked up at his mom as if thinking, "Why is this woman talking to me?"  Perhaps they're afraid I'm selling something or trying to convince them to switch religions.  Those Wyoming Methodists are known to do that.