LOW FIVE

 People love
to run
the beach

I prefer
to hike it
with a smile



Recently, I crossed paths with an dedicated twenty-something girl who looked like she put on the miles.  I always make it a point to greet everyone with eye-contact, a smile, and a subtle waist-high two finger wave.  Even though we had never seen each other before, she felt comfortable enough to return the favor.  She passed me by from behind on her return, so there was no second greeting.

Thirty minutes later, while exciting the bathrooms on my way to the pier for fish tacos, I turned the corner and there she was with her parents and sister.  She spotted me before I recognized her from the beach, and she immediately said “Hi”.  A bit surprised for a moment, I returned the greeting to her and her family, and headed off to the pier.

Thirty minutes later, while eating my fish taco, up walked her family.  We noticed each other, nodded, smiled, but exchanged no words.

A week later, on the same beach, with the exact same circumstances, I saw her approaching from the distance.  As she drew near and we both recognized each other, I slowly lowered my right arm out for a waist-high “five”, which she proceeded to slap as she ran by.   Her feeling comfortable enough to “low-five” my hand was based upon previous encounters a week before that totalled no more than 10 seconds of connection and no conversation beyond “Hi”.  A whole lotta fun for the investment.