the waver

Last night I read this article in the Reno Gazette Journal, and it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks.

Ed Carlson, better known simply as "The Waver" is one of the greatest inspirations in my life.

I remember as a kid driving into Reno, and before we ever got in the car I'd giddily ask my mom, "Do you think we'll see The Waver today?" Virtually every trip we took, either on our way to or from town, we did see him, walking the long walk down old US 395 between Reno and Carson City. No matter how wet or wicked the weather, The Waver was there, smiling, walking and waving.

It was a serious mission for me as a child to locate him along the road. Not a competition -- not a "who would find him first" -- a mission. And whoever spotted him would exclaim, "There he is! It's The Waver!" and then all the passengers would echo "The Waver!" and we'd all wave frantically back at him through the windows. The energy and joy that radiated through the car for those brief seconds as we passed by, arms and hands flailing, smiles on every face, had incredible power. That moment of waving had us all suddenly bursting with energy, buzzing with conversation, thrilled to go on to the next destination in our day.

In those days, I didn't know anything about The Waver at all. I didn't know why he walked so far every day, and I didn't know why he waved. I was curious, sure. Sometimes I would ask my mom, and turned out, she didn't have a clue either. And really, it didn't matter much why. I was simply delighted every time I saw The Waver.

And that never changed. For over 30 years, The Waver walked and waved in my hometown. Every time I came back from a school holiday, I would look for him. As the years moved on, he had changed his route, had some tough times health-wise, and it was harder to find him. But every time I saw him, I exclaimed the familiar words, "There he is! It's The Waver!" and waved frantically at him through the windows, and that same rush of delight came over me.

My mom bought me The Waver's book a few years back and I got to read a little about this man and his mission. The Waver writes, "Thirty-two years ago, I had an awakening. It came to me that I should start walking and be love. I should express love by waving.”

The Waver chose his own path in this life. There are folks who disparage him, question his motives and attack his life choices, both the ones he made before he began to walk and after. I do not know The Waver personally. I do know that every life has its share of shadows and light. And I know that for me, his walking and waving, touched my life profoundly and made my days better. He touched hundreds of thousands of people with that simple, pure mission. His is a ministry of joy. If anyone today stops for just one moment and thinks, "How can I be love? How can I express love to the world?" I think that is a decided victory.