For those who like to run it is much more convenient to go out the front door and start pounding pavement then to drive to a gym or track. My usual run goes from my front door to the end of my street and back, a total of 3.5 miles. There are no sidewalks and the white line is about 6 inches from the dirt, so not very runner friendly. In an effort to be positive I wave to all the drivers that move over for me as opposed to screaming at those that run me off the road (it has happened). I had no idea if this was helping or not but it seemed like the right thing to do.
A couple weeks ago my wife and I went for a walk. A car coming toward us slowed down moved to the opposite side of the road and I noticed the driver waving at us. I assumed he either knew me from around town or knew my wife and didn’t think much of it. However after the 7th or so car, I realized these were all the people the people I had been waving to on my runs. It just so happened that when I was running I couldn’t see them wave back.
Conclusion: Even the little polite gestures are appreciated and can gain you the respect and friendship of complete strangers. I hope that makes your day a little brighter. It did wonders for mine.