The Rural Wave

I was just driving back home from town, like I’ve done thousands of times before.

Same country dirt roads. Nothing new.

Rarely do we pass anyone going the opposite direction on these roads – but today I passed three vehicles… and waved at all three of them.  And, they waved back – and that is completely normal around here. It’s called the rural wave.  It’s just what we do. And I love it!

There are three basic variations of the rural wave. Everyone has their own style, and all variations of the rural wave make you smile.

The Raised Hand Steering Wheel Wave

The most common rural wave is when you raise your hand off the steering wheel to acknowledge each other. It is usually given with a smile.

The Two-Finger Wave

Of course, there’s also the two-finger wave. Instead of raising your entire hand off the steering wheel, some people prefer to raise their index and middle finger together in the two-finger wave. Typically these are the working men and women in trucks who use this wave. I figure it’s to keep control of the wheel better – and least I hope that’s the reason. Regardless, this acknowledgement is still as nice as the full raised hand wave.

The One-Finger Wave

Occasionally you’ll also see someone give you the one-finger wave. No, I’m not talking about that finger. I’m talking about the people who simply raise their index finger off the wheel as their rural wave. Just a quick variation of the two-finger wave.

Friends or Strangers, Doesn’t Matter

We don’t have to know each other to acknowledge one another on the road. We simply raise our hand and give a smile.

Maybe I’m “old-fashioned”, but I’m glad this age-old tradition still exists. It’s nice. It makes me feel good. It makes me appreciate living in the country and appreciate the people I pass. I find it refreshing.

The rural wave is common at our cabin, too – also in rural Minnesota. Pretty much everyone waves at each other at the lake and surrounding towns. We can always spot the people who are vacationing at a resort or rented cabin because they never wave back at us, and they give us strange looks when we wave and smile at them. They probably think we’re psychotic – but we don’t care. We like the rural wave.

The rural wave is also common when we’re driving and spot someone walking, jogging, or biking on the local roads as we pass.

That brief connection of the rural wave is something I’ll never tire of. For that very brief moment – we’re making eye contact with a PERSON behind the wheel, and we’re acknowledging each other.  I think it’s a friendly courtesy, and I think it makes people smile.

In the Cities

It seems when in the cities, everyone is too busy driving and no one waves at each other. It’s sad really. Well, you might see a variation of the one-finger rural wave while in the cities, but it uses a different finger and has a completely different meaning –  you know what I mean.  But thinking about it, the way folks drive in the city is sometimes a lot different than the way we drive around our place.  Maybe it’s best they just keep both hands on the wheel and pay attention to their driving.  Oh, and use their turn signals for a change… but that’s another topic for another time.

I’m glad my kids have grown up with this tradition of the rural wave, and I hope it’s one they will continue with into their adult lives.

How about you? Do you live in an area that has the rural wave? Share in a comment below!