It might be two fingers raised off the steering wheel of an old truck going by on a one lane road or a head nod from a neighbor walking a dog, a side slide hand wave from someone walking as you drive by, all acknowledged with eye contact. It says a few things, howdy for some, hi for others, hey there or how’s it going bub with no response required except a similar acknowledgement. It says, I see you to the car in the neighborhood that’s unfamiliar, kindly yet being aware.
Those who don’t reply do get noticed, perhaps more than those that do. “No sense being grumpy I’ll say to myself, just being friendly, must not be from round here I suppose”. The thing is, the wave is important, the connection is important, being neighborly is important, acknowledging each other in our community is what makes us neighbors. In Texas we like to be aware of who we live around. So, the next time you catch the nod, see the two fingers raised, say hi back however you please, be friendly to someone that you may never really know and give a Texas neighbor wave.
