Jeep wave

In case you don’t follow my wife Heidi on Facebook, or in case I didn’t mention it in a post (I can’t remember and I’m too lazy to check), back in November 2020, she got a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. She loves it. She loves driving with the top down. She loves the look, the feel, the vibe. She loves everything about it. I do not share this (or any) enthusiasm about this vehicle. I drive it grudgingly – when I have to (snowstorms) or when I’m told to (fortunately, that’s rare). I’m not a fan. Let’s leave it at that. But Heidi? She LOVES it. Oh wait. I think I mentioned that already. But it cannot be overstated. Heidi is not a “thing” person – neither of us are. We’ve never been too much about big, gaudy purchases – it’s not in our personality nor in our bank accounts’ ability. So, through the years, it’s kind of worked out. We don't make frivolous big purchases because we can't make such big purchases. Until we got this Jeep. Which, for those that do not know? Are pretty expensive. But again. She loves it. Oh yeah, we’ve covered that already.

Well. Anyway. Apparently, there’s this “thing” among Jeep drivers – real Jeeps, the Wranglers, Rubicons, Willys, etc., not the SUVs and other “normal” looking cars that have the Jeep brand on it. The “real” Jeep drivers have this thing called the “Jeep wave.” Perhaps you drive a Jeep and you know about this. Perhaps you don’t live under a rock like me and are already aware of this “thing,” in which fellow Jeep drivers wave at each other – a distinct, peace-sign-two-finger wave. It’s called the “Jeep wave.” It’s a thing. I guess. Heidi picked up on it quickly. She does the Jeep wave. Other Jeepers (are they called that?) wave back. They are happy. She is happy. I’m happy because she’s happy. Life goes on – and if you are riding in a real Jeep, life goes on with much road noise. So, the few times I’ve driven that Jeep (again, grudgingly), I was getting waved at by these random Jeepers. I’ve been known to wave randomly at people (especially on the Marist campus), so with a little prompting this was an easy habit for me to pick up on.

Of course, because I’m an immature idiot, I cannot just leave it at that. As part of our Jeep transaction back in the fall, we traded in my beloved Subaru Forester (hey, it made the most sense) and now I drive the family minivan, a 2013 Honda Odyssey, for which I get incessantly ridiculed by my morning jog buddies … and which I immediately loaded up with magnets and stickers. I felt like Picasso with a blank slate. All this metal to be covered with magnets and stickers! (Again, for reference, I’m an immature idiot). So, the other day, I decided – randomly and for no reason at all, other than rampant immaturity – that I would start doing the Jeep wave as I passed Jeepers. While driving the minivan. This has been met with complete apathy and perhaps bafflement – Jeep drivers are not prone to wave at minivan drivers, especially nerdy older guys who get excited about going to the public library. But hey, I’m on a mission. I’m getting me some Jeep waves. For the record, I did get one, as I was waiting to make a left turn onto our road, off state Route 9G. I was stationary, an easy target for the usually distracted eyes of oncoming traffic. A Jeep passed. I waved, peace-sign and all. The guy waved back, probably out of reflex or confusion or both. I’m going to keep this up, if only to annoy the heck out of my kids, who think it’s stupid. Of course, it’s stupid! That’s the point!