February 7 – “Apple Lady”

We awoke to a chilly 54 degrees.  It was also supposed to rain.  I guess it did a little while we slept.  At least enough to get the plastic cover of the newspaper wet. 

 

Chris joined me for my walk yesterday.  she went a mile and a half.  I continued on for two.   I pondered aloud while we were together as to the psychological ramifications of my waving at people driving by us in cars.  I have spent some time doing research on the topic, you know.  I wave at just about every car that comes by, whether we know them as neighbors or not.  I figure it has to be good for the soul to know that at least that one old guy who was getting his steps in cared enough about me to acknowledge my existence.  But that’s not the subject of my experiment.  No way to quantify that.  My interest this time was in exactly how they respond to the wave, especially when they are talking on the phone. 

 

We are on an island off the coast of Texas, and a lot of Texans have transplanted here.  Therefore, a common response to any wave is the casual lifting of a finger or two from the steering wheel.  Or maybe even all five fingers while keeping the palm of the hand on the steering wheel.  That is the most common response, and the one I have come to expect.  Some, of course, don’t acknowledge my wave at all.  They are probably transplants from somewhere other than Texas.  Or they have something on their minds.  Or they didn’t see me.  All completely understandable reactions.  But my favorite responses come from those who are holding their phone to their ear while driving. 

 

See, these folks suddenly face a challenge.  They want to wave, and they may even get the finger acknowledgment done.  But there is just something about getting caught with your phone in your ear that causes people to do strange things.  One funny response comes when they try the one finger acknowledgment … with a finger on the phone.  Some even abandon their conversation momentarily and wave back at me, phone in hand.  It’s a lot of fun to see someone try to release the phone at their ear so they can give me a full-on return wave.  The phone inevitably dislodges from the shoulder perch and the head desperately bounces to the side trying to catch it.  Quite entertaining.

 

But yesterday I had a bit of a different response.  A lady was driving by.  I didn’t know her, but she appeared pleasant enough.  So I smiled and waved.  She returned my smile with a big one of her own, and then returned the wave.  Not with her phone, however.  She waved her half-eaten apple at me.  That was certainly a first.  Tasty. 

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

 

Father, please give Apple Lady a great day today.  She sure made mine a bit more joyful yesterday.  Amen.