From my air-conditioned car, I could see glistening beads of sweat run down the flagman’s face. As he took a swipe at them with one hand, he directed traffic through the construction zone with the other. His was not an easy job; I waved. He waved back and then he smiled. It was still a hot day, but maybe it helped to be appreciated.
I also wave my appreciation when other drivers stop to allow me to pull into traffic. I wave from my yard to neighbors who pass by, even if we’ve never met. I like to wave to people. But, I am concerned that, over the past few years, the number of those of us who wave is diminishing. Are we becoming an endangered species?
When I was growing up, waving was practically a national pastime. We waved to each other, friends and strangers, from our porches, our sidewalks, and from the roads or streets that ran in front of our homes. It’s one of the first social behaviors that we learn.
It seems that many of us have lost not only the knack, but the heart of the art of waving. Perhaps we have dismissed waving as “un-cool,” not politically correct, or worse—invasive or wanton behavior. Don’t you think it is time that we loosen up our rusty waving arms and start waving to each other again?
For several years, a true master of the art of waving set an example for our community. I knew him only as “the man who waved.” Perhaps even he was not aware of the power of goodwill that he wielded from his wheelchair on his front porch all those years, but he touched the hearts of hundreds of us who passed his home on 17th Street. Though a stranger, he is still missed.
Physical limitations excepted, everyone can use this universal language. Application to activity varies, so I submit some pointers. Generally speaking, there are two types of waving—discriminate waving and indiscriminate waving. For instance, many of the folks who ride on floats in parades practice indiscriminate waving. I am sympathetic to their generic arm motion because the parade route can be long, the weather hot (or cold), and with hundreds of us lining the sidewalks, the act of waving is merely obligatory. Also, it is impossible, to look each one of us in the eye and give us a personal, heart-felt, intentional wave. While I may question their sincerity, I admit that I am not immune to the “wave response impulse,” and I wave back anyway. Besides, it’s my way of participating in the parade.
While discriminate waving includes professional waving, like a conductor for an orchestra, or a policeman directing traffic, it is often more intimate, and originates somewhere around the heart. For example, when I waved good-bye to my sons as they left for school and when I wave “hello” to family and friends as they come up the sidewalk, I have exercised the ancient art of discriminate waving.
As with any art form, techniques vary according to application. Fingers-only waving is for close-up waving or while in church. Babies are experts at a variation of the finger-wave, which is opening and closing the whole hand. The wrist wave, which can flop up and down, or swing laterally, is especially useful if you are in a confined space, like a moving vehicle, or if not feeling well.
Less subdued than the former waving forms, elbow-waves are most often employed by royalty, beauty contestants, and parade float participants. Variations include a modified figure-eight, the half-circle, and the popular metronome. Last, but not least, is the vigorous whole-arm wave accompanied by a toothy smile used mostly by politicians. This wave requires commitment from the waver, and once the arm is in full motion, it is difficult to ignore.
I hope this refresher course in the art of waving will prompt you potential wavers to action. Remember, adding a sincere smile to your waving makes it far more than a nonverbal “hello” or “good bye”. It connects us. It says, “I see you; we share this planet, this time, this space, and you matter.”
