A Simple Gesture

" We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. ² Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. ³ For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
 -Romans 15: 1-3


Two blog posts in a day?! What is going on?

If you know much about me, you know that I am a pretty simple person. Some things are just the way they are because that's how they have always been and that's ok with me. I don't need to know the answer to everything. Some may call that naive, but it certainly keeps my life quite a bit more stress free. 

For instance, I enjoy the stars for their beauty. I don't need nor do I care to know why they look the way they do, how far away they are or if there is life on them. I think they are beautiful and that serves my purpose just fine. I can enjoy a sunset for no other reason than that is the only time I will ever see a sunset exactly like that ever again. I enjoy watching people interact with each other because human nature is an interesting thing to view. 

There are certain, little things that offer so much feeling that we hardly think about it because our lives are too complicated and fast moving. Like a wave from a neighbor.

How many people still wave to their neighbors? Probably far fewer than those that do. For those that do, I commend you. A wave is a simple gesture. A quick flick of the wrist or tilt of the hat brim is all that is needed to acknowledge another persons presence around you. The implications root themselves far deeper than most people consider when thinking how insignificant a passing wave can be.

I think about this question a lot, believe it or not. I work at a private golf club, as many now know, and the members of our club expect the utmost customer service when they are approached by staff. They like to be greeted by name, asked how their morning workout was, how their last round of golf went when the wind was howling from the west. It sounds snobby, but in the essence of life, we all just want to have someone show appreciation in our lives. Taking a few seconds to acknowledge that the zombie walking past you actually still has a pulse. At the end of the day, you wouldn't mind being a little snobby if someone took an interest in your life occasionally too.

The level of neighborliness that we show our members must, then transfer into our driving. A simple wave as we drive by, regardless of knowing that person specifically, is a great way to brighten their day. And as the person who normally initiates the wave, I become upset when the person I am gesturing to fails to acknowledge my acknowledgement of their existence. I feel betrayed. 

I have two neighbors in my barrio, specifically, that I know always wave when you drive by. When I see them out walking or in their yard, I keep my eyes trained on them so that I don't miss the opportunity to wave back. Because, heaven forbid, I miss the wave back and they feel bitterness for initiating a wave that wasn't returned. But, more so than that, I enjoy the feeling of the wave. I have thought on numerous occasions of going out of my way to engage in more serious conversation with these two individuals all because they have forged a greater connection through a simple gesture.

Think about it. How hard is it to wave? When was the last time you waved at a neighbor? When was the last time you even thought about waving to a neighbor? Try it. It might catch on.