The High Five

      Greeting somebody has been an extremely important thing throughout the ages (I mean, how else would you start a conversation really?). How you greet someone is always changing, however, as it doesn’t come down to simple words these days. The days of “tally ho and tiddlywinks, good chap” have passed (did those days ever exist?) and quite often we now let out a simple “mornin’” instead. However, a non-verbal form of “hello” has passed the test of time, though it has slightly evolved along the way. The handshake, which still exists, at one point gave birth to the high five, which is still on active duty today.

      There’s really not a much better feeling than sticking your hand out and receiving another hand’s welcomed slap in return (high low, or too slow... though the too slow hand wouldn’t make contact, it’s still a good feeling... sort of... maybe... but not really... possibly... sure). Now the high five has so many different versions it’s ridiculous (I don’t know half of the new modes these days, but I also create my own to confuse others) but the first version of the high five still owns all (unless you’re talking about Fausto’s fist bump... he’s a guy from work and his fist bumps are legendary, to the point where he even created a static shock fist bump... he just might be God). I often find myself sticking my hand out in public to see if I can be fortunate enough to receive a high five from a random passerby. At the beginning of the week I succeeded in this quest as, while walking to my job in NYC, a stranger saw my outstretched hand and gave me some hand slappin’ love (that sounded a little wrong, but hopefully you know what I meant). I was overly ecstatic over this event and it made my night of work so much better (it put me in a great mood).

      The day after that I decided to try again as I exited the train station and walked towards my job. It was a rather cool day, cloudy to say the least, and I had Iggy Pop blaring in my headphones (on my iPod). I only had a few avenues to choose when to pull the trigger (stick my hand out), but I also wanted to make sure I chose the perfect specimen; that’s when I saw him! A wonderful, older man, wearing a New York Rangers hoodie (I already liked the guy due to this fact) was sprinting towards me, undoubtedly racing to catch his train home. I pulled a William Wallace as I kept telling myself “wait for it... hold” while the other me inside was getting nervous since they thought I was waiting too long. He got within striking distance, I flung my hand out there.... and he ran right past me. I was more heartbroken than when I got dumped back in September; the high five of my dreams was right there for the taking and it ended up rejecting me... nay, completely ignoring me! As you have probably figured out, that night of work was not nearly as pleasing (though I was also sick and there were tapes missing for the upres I had to do). That man in the Rangers hoodie will be sprinting through my mind for the rest of my life (in a heterosexual manner, of course)... he’s the high five that got away.

      In conclusion, the high five is a wonderful creation that shows comradery and can easily brighten the day of another. Also, due to the constant changes in high fives (fist bumps and the hour long versions you often see in the dugouts during a major league baseball game), it has now become a science, too. Can you make up your own version of the high five? Will others use your version? Only time will tell, but first you have to invent that gnarly finger slappage... so do it! I also challenge you to go and see if you can get a stranger to high five you back; you won’t regret it (unless they have something on their hands, I suppose)! So, will the high five ever die? I think not, but to be safe, be sure to teach it to the children and assure its everlasting existence.

If you have any questions or comments for G.K., email him at GK@LostYouthNation.com, and be sure to check back here next week for another random article from his unpredictable mind.