Main Street Magazine Spring '23

l bye?
why-you-broke-away-from-each-other, definitely ignore them. If they’re someone
who you might see occasionally at functions, or you have mutual friends, and
you heard they were talking bad about you, why on Earth would you waste an
ounce of your kindness on that person, girl hi? More like girl BYE! As for those
weird situations when you’re in the middle of a fight with your friend whom
you value, a smile wouldn’t hurt, but whether you wave to them or not doesn’t
matter. Hope y’all will be able to communicate your issues at a different time.
when to wave at someone,
what’s your deal?
Picture this, it’s 9:30am on a Tuesday morning. You have class at 9:40am and
you just walked out of HoCo after consuming some scrambled eggs, tater tots,
and some lightly brewed Flying Squirrel coffee. You’re heading to Ham Smith
for class and see a familiar face on the path along Hood House. You should, of
course, still take into consideration your relations with that person, but if I were
in that position, suddenly something super interesting popped up on my phone
and I HAVE to see omg. If they still put the effort in to wave to you, they’re a real
one. If you weren’t sure where you were at (waving-wise) with that person and
#that happens, you better wave to them every other time you see them, NO
excuses. Speaking of, if they wave to you first, do you have social anxiety? If you
do that’s okay, let’s breathe. If you don’t feel like you’re up to socializing with
anyone, then keep your head down and carry about your day. If you ignored a
closer friend, you could shoot them a text later or next time you see them. Bring
it up and have a laugh about it.
Other times, you might not have seen the person at all. This happens a lot
in HoCo. I’m in there only to get my food, sit down, and eat. I don’t have time
to mess around. The air in there puts everyone at a much higher risk of
disassociation, so don’t feel any pressure to wave at anyone in there.
the f irst waveless encounter…
The first time you put your foot down and choose not to wave at someone
because you don’t value your friendship enough to say hello, the tides change.
Some might give you a glare, some might be too scared to look in your direction
again, and others are unbothered, but choosing that decision was a very grown
move for you to make. Let’s celebrate that!
Now being on the opposite end is when it gets a bit messy, and is the main
reason why I decided to create this guide. That is when you see someone
who you would definitely wave to, and you’re waiting for them to initiate the
interaction, just looking at them, but it’s crickets. Well…it’s over, but you
probably weren’t that close anyway. Hopeful, at most, and that happens. Like all
they were doing was considering the factors that I’ve been discussing this whole
time. It’s not that deep boo boo.
reviving your waving
relationship?
If you’ve had a relationship come to a close due to no hello, how are you, or
wave gestures, what are the chances it can be brought back? If it was one
of those situations where it was never that serious, y’all might’ve grown two
centimeters close at most, so the end of that relationship done brought you
back two centimeters. Surely you can get those two centimeters back at LEAST.
This most likely could happen out of pure luck whether you randomly see
them at a party, you have a class with them that semester, or a mutual friend
unknowingly brings you two together when hanging out. Just have fun with it!
If less than 1, you don’t need to say hi
If between 1 to 5, waving wouldn’t hurt but
no pressure to.
it’s really not that deep...
If greater than 5, shoot them a wave likeee
All of this might appear to be a bit too calculated and over thought to some.
Like why on Earth would anyone need this? Just say hello, no matter what the
person’s result is on the opposite end, your life will hardly change. Well, yes! But
as an overthinker, I forget about that fact in the moment, however it might be
one of the most important ones to remember. No one really cares. Say hello or
don’t, you have freedom of speech.
By Matthew Kurr
Photos by Tinotenda Duche
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