The Wave

“Everybody used to do that. . . . My father waved.”

Jay Simpson, Resident waver from Hooper, Utah

Jay Simpson giving a wave.

Jay Simpson of Hooper, Utah (population 5,660) has a fun hobby. He gets plenty of exercise, makes lots of friends, and even gets his picture in the paper. Mr. Simpson’s hobby? Waving.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Waving isn’t a hobby.” The way Mr. Simpson does it is. He walks four to five miles each morning, waving to everyone he sees.

Mr. Simpson has always been a waver, but he took it to the next level after his retirement in 1989. And this isn’t just a hometown hobby. When Mr. Simpson and his wife visited England for four months, he waved to the people there. Eventually, they waved back.

Back home, Mr. Simpson is a bit of a celebrity. Folks stop to chat or to snap his photo, and he’s even gotten fan mail.

So if you’re looking for a fun hobby, you might try your hand at waving. It doesn’t cost a dime, and the goodwill you get in return is priceless.

Read more → JaNae Francis, Hooper man offers many a wave and a smile, Standard-Examiner, March 27, 2012. (Photo by Matthew Arden Hatfield/Standard-Examiner)