I was recently in Tennessee, on the campus of Sewanee, a small liberal arts college known as “The University of the South.” Their 13,000 acres of scenic mountain campus are gorgeous, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. What impressed me even more than the rural beauty was their tradition of “The Passing Hello.”
This tradition is where Sewanee students, faculty and residents greet one another on the street, even if they are complete strangers. I read that a student would be hard pressed to make it from their dorm to the dining hall without exchanging at least a few passing hellos.
I loved the idea when I read about it, and wondered if the four of us—my husband and myself, and my husband’s sister and her husband, whose son had attended Sewanee—would qualify for a few passing hellos?
As we wandered from the science building to the chapel to the cafeteria, sure enough, almost everyone greeted us with the courtesy of a smile, a hello, a wave, an acknowledgment: You are here; I see you. It was lovely, simple and civil.
After experiencing the warmth and happiness of this tradition, when I got back home, I wondered if it would be possible to transfer this friendly idea from a college campus to a small community—our community.
Malibu often gets unfairly judged as glitzy and celebrity-driven. What if Malibu instead became known as the small town with the big tradition of “The Passing Hello?”
I’ve been thinking about attending the next city council meeting and proposing the city adopt “The Passing Hello.” It costs nothing, and it spreads warmth and a sense of community that’s sometimes lacking.
I wonder if the community would be enthusiastic enough about this and think it important enough to help get the word out. Our schools, including Pepperdine University, could embrace the tradition and a newspaper like this one could put “The Passing Hello” near its masthead so the tradition would be instantly communicated to newcomers.
Jo Giese is President of the MalibuGreenMachine. Her next book is “Never Sit If You Can Dance: Lessons from Babe.”