A Passing Nod

When the rains let up yesterday, I zipped out of the house and went out to the ocean. The path at Land’s End that leads to the Legion of Honor Museum is always one of the more beautiful walks in the city, made yet more so by the welcome sun glinting on the trees and illuminating the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean. I made the wise choice to not listen to my Audible book while walking and after a while, began to notice that I was nodding my head and greeting each person I passed. And not only did they always respond, but sometimes we did so at the same time and sometimes they did first. What was going on?

 

Perhaps it was something in my body language, my slow gait revealing I wasn’t in a hurry, no earbuds or wires on me, my content face mirroring the pleasure of the walk. No matter the cause— the effect was so uplifting. Not the little dopamine rush of the Facebook “like” but the face-to-face contact that spoke volumes: “Here we are, two bi-ped members of the same species crossing paths as we traverse this great, green earth. Let’s celebrate this brief, brief moment of passing with a simple nod, smiling eye-contact and even spoken ‘hello.’ Neither of us wants anything from the other— not our bodies or our money or our political allegiance. Just this moment of acknowledging that here we are and here we are together and isn’t it a grand day?”

 

Once I noticed this, I began to be more self-conscious and it became a little game to see if the next person I passed would play. That ruined it a little bit, but not much. Fact is, except for those talking on their phone or distracted by their dog, many continued to give or return that short greeting. I’m here to report that it made a difference. Next time you go for a walk, put away your phone, lift your eyes up and nod hello to those you pass and see what happens. Okay, maybe not during rush hour in Times Square, but in some less populated place with people walking more leisurely. Try it!