Waving to Strangers
When you live in a small community, it's common courtesy to wave to everyone. If you're driving around, you wave to the passing drivers. When you're out on a walk, you say hi to your fellow pedestrians. Even when you're sitting in your own front yard, you wave to the cars going past.
It most cities, people passing each other avoid making eye contact, so this waving thing takes a little getting used to. When I first moved to Wall, SD (that's the first small town I lived in), my boss told me to wave to passing cars while I was driving on the job. I did. About a month later, he was in the pick-up with me and saw me wave to someone. I think he had to smother his laughter. I was waving to every person, whether I knew them or not, with a toothy smile and an enthusiastic hand flapping.
My boss said, "Well you don't need to be quite that friendly!" He then instructed me on the appropriate ways to wave. The standard wave is to raise one hand, palm out, with one stroke up and down again. A lesser version is to just lift a finger or two off the steering wheel in salute. And if you're feeling even less energetic or your hands are busy, a head nod works as well - think of a cowboy tipping his hat. Big smiles and hand flapping are saved for your closest friends and family!
Well, I finally got the hang of small-town waving and I use those skills often in the Haxtun area. Sometimes, if the town is busy with drivers it can feel a little silly because you're waving so much, but most of the time it's nice to know that your community notices you. And they do notice you! Probably half the people in town or better know what car you drive after you've lived here a few months!
The weirdest part is after you get used to all the waving and then you go visit a city. On my last visit to California I think I confused quite a few strangers by waving to them just out of habit. After I realized what I did, I would look in the rear view mirror and most of the time see someone turning to look back at me to figure out who I am to them and why I waved! Oops!
So if you stop by Haxtun - or any town with a population of 1000 or less - be sure to lift your hand or nod your head in greeting!
It most cities, people passing each other avoid making eye contact, so this waving thing takes a little getting used to. When I first moved to Wall, SD (that's the first small town I lived in), my boss told me to wave to passing cars while I was driving on the job. I did. About a month later, he was in the pick-up with me and saw me wave to someone. I think he had to smother his laughter. I was waving to every person, whether I knew them or not, with a toothy smile and an enthusiastic hand flapping.
My boss said, "Well you don't need to be quite that friendly!" He then instructed me on the appropriate ways to wave. The standard wave is to raise one hand, palm out, with one stroke up and down again. A lesser version is to just lift a finger or two off the steering wheel in salute. And if you're feeling even less energetic or your hands are busy, a head nod works as well - think of a cowboy tipping his hat. Big smiles and hand flapping are saved for your closest friends and family!
Well, I finally got the hang of small-town waving and I use those skills often in the Haxtun area. Sometimes, if the town is busy with drivers it can feel a little silly because you're waving so much, but most of the time it's nice to know that your community notices you. And they do notice you! Probably half the people in town or better know what car you drive after you've lived here a few months!
The weirdest part is after you get used to all the waving and then you go visit a city. On my last visit to California I think I confused quite a few strangers by waving to them just out of habit. After I realized what I did, I would look in the rear view mirror and most of the time see someone turning to look back at me to figure out who I am to them and why I waved! Oops!
So if you stop by Haxtun - or any town with a population of 1000 or less - be sure to lift your hand or nod your head in greeting!
Posted by Susan at March 26, 2010 
Categories: Rural Living
Tags: country rural colorado haxtun waving small town wave
Categories: Rural Living
Tags: country rural colorado haxtun waving small town wave
Cute article and so true. We are currently wintering in Arizona. I can hardly wait to get back to "waving country".
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This is so true. Going to Denver I would catch myself waving at people... you can tell that they think I am a nutcase! Interestingly I now live in a small town where people don't wave. Maybe I will start a new trend.
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