I have a brother who waves at everyone. I used to find it silly and would roll my eyes when he made the small gesture to each and every car we passed. Sometimes I knew the passing vehicle and agreed that yes, that is someone we ought to acknowledge. More frequently I didn’t recognize the others at all, so I usually sat there wondering and sometimes worrying about my brother the waver.
I now know what my brother has known all along. People like to be waved at, so we should wave at them. I realized this only recently, after moving away from my hometown. I was raised in a delightfully small town and now live in a big city. Occasionally I run into someone I know, but most days I don’t. After only a week in my new reality, I found myself thinking a lot about my waving brother. I found myself wishing people around here were more like him. I wanted to be waved at.
Now conscious of my strange desire, my thoughts have continually been on the subject of waving, of exchanging greetings, of making smiling eye contact. Why do I miss these things? What is in a wave?
A wave is often thought of as a simple motion, either a greeting of hello or an indication of goodbye. The world typically reserves this signal for good friends or at least acquaintances. My brother taught me another definition of a wave to which anyone and everyone are recipients. This kind of wave (the best kind) is given in passing, often with a smile. It says, “I realize that you are here, and I am glad.”
I should not need to know someone to acknowledge them. People everywhere spend hours, days, weeks, and more without being noticed, or at least without knowing they were noticed. The world is big but it doesn’t need to feel so big.
I believe in waving just because. Just because that lady might have had a bad day. Just because that man might be new to the area. Just because that child might be lonely. Just because it might mean getting a wave in return.
(This is my first essay for my "This I Believe" writing class)
