Two-fingered salute

It's prevalent where I grew up. As you pass others you casually raise two fingers from the steering wheel in salutation. The gesture is reciprocated by the pedestrian or driver.

It is nice. A little "hello" from a neighbor. A little "I know we don't know each other, but I'm glad to see you are well. Have a wonderful day."

It is habit for me. Dog walkers, joggers and suburban driving passers-by all get the two-fingered salute. Rarely ever is it reciprocated. I have a few theories.

1. Charlotte is getting too big for its britches. People in Charlotte feel they shouldn't denigrate themselves by the distraction of hello. They forget that Charlotte is in the heart of Bible-thumping, sweet tea-guzzling, "ya'll" country. They live in a world devoid of all kindness and hospitality, and that is sad.

2. They have no free hand. How can one remove two fingers from a steering wheel if there are no fingers on the wheel to begin with? Many of the non-gesturing folk cannot do so because of cell phones, lattes or lipstick tubes. God forbid I distract them further, since they will probably kill themselves, their passengers and nearby pedestrians in the not-so-distant future.

3. They do not know. It's a simple explanation. Perhaps I came from such a backward existence that those in contemporary society were never exposed to the two-finger salute. After all, who would refuse a hello if they knew the opportunity existed?

So if you pass someone in a dirty farmer in a beat up pickup truck, or a twentysomething in a teal Corolla, take a millisecond and raise two little fingers to say hello. Trust me, knowing you are being a nicer human will make your day less miserable.