Panhandler on the subway platform caught me mid-speech and flipped my whole approach

I was about to hand a dollar to a guy on the F train platform in Brooklyn last Tuesday when he stopped me and said, 'nah, you keep that, but do me a favor and actually look at me when you pass by.' That hit weird because I realized I had been doing this fake-friendly nod and shuffle for months, never really seeing anyone, just trying to avoid awkwardness. So I stopped, we talked for like ten minutes about his dog and how he got to that spot, and honestly he was funnier than most people I know. Now I try to at least make eye contact and say a real 'hey' to anyone asking for change, even if I don't have cash. Has anyone else had a stranger call them out on autopilot behavior and it actually stuck? I'm curious if that ever works long term or if I'll be back to my old habits by next week.

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