In the February 2009 issue of Runner’s World, there was an article that introduced me to the concept of of wavers and non-wavers; those do or do not say “Hello” when you pass somebody else. Being in Runner’s World, the article obviously is about waving while running.
I have to admit–I am a waver, while I run. As a matter of fact, I probably wave more, when given the opportunity, while running than any other time. Of course, being a Chaplain I see a lot more people that I know when I run–but I also am happy to see other people running.
The article also identifies those “non-wavers” who do not wave. The Army is typically a warm community when it comes to meeting new people–so, I think this is translated into the fact that there are more wavers in the military. I believe it stems from the culture–it is proper to give the “greeting of the day” and/or salute when you see another Soldier. There is typically some communication between you and everybody you meet while simply walking around. It makes sense that this would be the case. Occasionally, I do run across the non-waver. Most of the time they are focused on their run and look like they are ignoring everything around them, and that’s OK. But, it is always nice to see a smile as you pass–especially on the Korea river by Korean Nationals and Soldiers alike.
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This post is a fresh rewrite of post titled “I’m a Waver” from May 2009.
Photo by Chanan Greenblatt on Unsplash.com