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Andrew Keller
Waiving at Strangers
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Unknown Speaker
Today we're gonna start out with a little bit of poetry. I came across this.
Rangers, I found a poem by Rohini thing. I really don't know why, but I feel happy. I feel complete, waving hands at strangers giving them smiles. Sometimes there's the sailors, the police, the truck drivers, the cleaners, the helpers, many more. Don't have entertaining jobs, I make them laugh. Sometimes they do silly things. Sometimes I appreciate them. I made a few friends. I don't know their names. And other face. They know mine. We smile at each other. We know each other's time. We know each other's route. We wave at each other. I thought that was cute. I was on a walk the other day in my new neighborhood. And I got mask shamed for the first time I was walking and I didn't have a mask on it was I was probably 10 feet away from a guy that had a mask on and he kind of did a stutter step and stared me down. And I was like, I remember the early patronymic days people would walk around and there's this feeling of well in this together. People would wave and maybe that's gone. I don't know. I like waving to people though.
I feel like the time for mass shaving is oh mask shaming is over because well who knows who's vaccinated or not? And the CDC like literally said, you don't really need to wear masks outside anymore. So the sense of mass shaming that that time has passed.
Yeah, I mean, that's that wasn't the kind of the point of but it was it was kind of got me with thinking about it growing up in Texas he would waving at strangers wasn't a weird thing. Moving to Boulder people did it less in San Francisco. I feel like it's less. But just in general, like a random act of kindness goes a long way for both people that are involved. I think it makes you feel really good. And it makes the person receiving it. It generally I think it makes them feel good.
It's not creepy.
No, I mean, I guess if you try to make it creepy, you can but
but no, I think you hit it on that. I think waving at a stranger is all geography. It's literally a matter of where you are. You're in a small town in Texas wave no prob San Francisco, you might get mugged. I mean, I really feel like it's a geography thing. And it's like, it's where you're at and where you're from.
I don't know if this is actually the point you're trying to make but for wanting to get mugged. A lot of self defense classes teach you if you're worried about someone, you say hello to them because they become unpredictable. So I don't think that was the point you're making. But if you do feel threatened, say hello to someone and know that
I was totally going to make that point. I used to work at TJ Maxx. And the number one rule in retail is if you work at a store, you go up to someone looks suspicious, you just go up and say, Hey, can I help you with anything? And then they know that you're there and they're less likely to steal? So I totally agree with you. If something looks suspicious, you go up and say, Are you waive or you just acknowledged? Did you know that they're there?
Yeah. And it kind of established it? Well, I guess yeah, that for that instance, it definitely works with that. We've seen it more. There's a lot of homeless people just in general and Los Angeles, living on the sidewalks and Nicole and I like to walk in. So you never know if you're going to walk by attempt and someone's going to jump out and stab you in the calf. So we see people like Hey, how's it going? And who knows, but it kind of puts everybody else on alert?
I think the big question is, once appropriate, a wave, a smile, or a nod? Like is there like a pecking order of these? Or can you do anyone at any time? Or is there a certain way you're supposed to do which one?
I think it depends on your personality? I think for me, it's a wave. And if I try to do a nod or a wink or something, it's gonna come like you said, Come across creepy. So I think Be true to yourself. If you try to like if you think oh, I should be waving at people, and that's not something you're comfortable doing, then it's going to come across weird and stilted and maybe you're going to have less of a desired effect.
Which is funny because on the Reddit when I went when searches should you wait to strangers they were like waving is you're too eager. If you wave a head nod is the way to go to meet keep it casual.
I guess it depends on what your desired result is. I mean, it could just be a knowing smile. I heard a celebrity being interviewed saying his favorite thing is when a fan will like see him in a restaurant and smile and nod and like not talk to him. He's like, I know who you are and I'm not going to bother you. So I mean, like that. I guess that's not really the point we're making but
I that's nice, you know, I feel like it's okay for me to smile at like a grandma when we pass each other on the sidewalk. But if I smile like a young kind of pretty gal, she's like, Oh, he's creepy, but grandma thinks it's fine.
Well, yeah, maybe we can I guess it's kind of depends on how you how you executed. I think I can wave it. Females that aren't my wife and have the creepy about it. I mean, there's different ways to do it. Also. I
mean, like you just said, My creepy factor is off the chart. Like you just don't be creepy.
Yeah, I mean, if you want to follow Larry on Instagram good at Park lurker
calm, Larry.
He's lurking in the air? I don't know, I guess it is. I think if you fully Own your intent and fully own what you want to do, you can pull anything off. I've told this story before I think but when I lived in Argentina, you kiss Hello. And I was walking with a friend and we ran into his buddy on the street. And we're like, we kiss Hello on the cheek. And it's like, if I tried to kiss your friend Hello on the street. And in the US? Maybe it is regional.
Regional? I don't know. I thought I started the whole thing. You know, I will say in the simplest form, I did love that poem. It the simplest form of this there are moments I go back and forth whether to nod wave or whatever. It's up on the sidewalk. I don't have a system. I probably should do it more but but when the times that I do it or smile or nod or something and someone does that back, there's just like a moment of connection. I'm like, Huh, that's one person never gonna see again. I saw him for a brief second. We had this nice, polite exchange and we moved on. It's wonderful.
Yeah, it doesn't even have to be waving Hello, it can be a random compliment. remember one time I was on a flight and the flight attendant had a very nice smile and I was like I don't know if I want to tell him that it's going to come across creepy so I was waited to the flight was done and it was de planning. I gave him the compliment and got out of there. I think if you give someone a compliment and you expect or wait for something in return, then it kind of loses meaning but you could just go up to someone and say hey, I like that like the shoes you have they're nice and then just walk away.
So here's it's a little bit it's similar to this but like when you see someone and you're walking down the street or in the store and you see someone with a Colorado buffalo shirt, you always go like hey Bob's or do you just get to keep it yourself?
No all yoga buffs people do it to me too. So he do it. Yeah, I think others I mean other schools do it too, like via Penn State gear on someone. Oh, yeah, we are. And then you yo back Penn State. The Notre Dame might do that with nd
but yeah, if you're just for the you know, those in the know, if you see a Nevada Wolf Pack, you say well, and they say but that's what that's what we do.
Have you ever done that outside of the state?
Yes. Doesn't most of the time I just Oh,
they did come across creepy last time and you're like, I can't do this again.
You know what I feel like what I've learned from today is that I'm creepy. I mean,
creepy. Well, alright. Let's put 100 yard restraining distance on our schools. Everyone else was sleeps better at night. Anyway, go outside, pull over the car wave to a stranger and make their day it'll probably make yours a little bit better. Share this show with a friend. We like that. You can find us on social media repost the podcast, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. I'm Andrew Keller for the little birdie.
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