Wisconsin Wave Spreads Chain of Cheer
A friend noticed this friendly quirk of human nature and commented, "Does the state of Wisconsin teach waving in driver's education class?"
It's tempting to think only those folks from small towns do all this waving, but not so. As an experiment, I conducted my own scientific study. I practiced waving at everyone I met, even in cities such as Green Bay and Madison. The results were the same-Wisconsinites are wavers.
I then took the experiment across state lines into Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois, and sadly, not one waver could I find. Not in the small towns and not in the large. But that doesn't mean these states aren't friendly, because I know for certain that they are. I'm a regional Midwestern travel writer and routinely walk the hike/bike trails. Everyone I meet on these trails, without exception, greet me with an enthusiastic "Hi!"
So what am I getting at besides an observation? Simply this: how hard is it to stick your hand out and wave? Yet, this effortless feat that 99 percent of us are capable of executing does more to spread good will toward our fellow human beings than a PR firm with a million dollar budget. It costs nothing, but when reciprocated gives back tenfold and becomes the potential catalyst behind a spreading chain of cheer.
Don't you feel good when another person acknowledges your existence? Don't you want to know who the friendly person is? Doesn't a wave bring a smile to your lips and a warm, fuzzy feeling to your heart? Don't you feel a more intimate part of the greater whole when a stranger goes out of their way to wave to you?
I'll admit that when I first moved to Wisconsin from Minnesota I thought the waving practice peculiar and always wondered how the waver knew who I was. I've since wholeheartedly adopted this native gesture and now wonder the opposite-why did I not wave before? In a world that so badly needs more of the human touch, how can anyone afford not to wave?
Copyright Mary M. Bauer. You are free to use this article in part or full provided you include the bio.
Related Tags: heart, united states, michigan, madison, illinois, minnesota, human nature, wisconsin, wave, green bay
Mary M. Bauer is the author of five books, including The Truth About You: Things You Don't Know You Know (VanderWyk & Burnham, 2006). Visit http://marymbauer.com
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