You know those guys standing on the street corner holding pizza signs and waving? Do you ever wave back? When you enter or exit a public place, do you look back to see if anyone could use an open door? How about walking down the street? Do you make eye contact, smile or say ‘Hello’ to passer-bys?

It seems some of our bad (or just nonexistent) manners are just a reflection of our self-involved society: talking on cell phones, listening to Ipods, being distracted or generally just being self-absorbed. I’m pleased to say, however, that there are still plenty of well-mannered people out there. And yet one place, in particular, seems to have maintained its general ongoing goodwill toward people in the midst.

The waterways of Sacramento, which are dominated by the Sacramento and American Rivers, are ever-flowing portals of summer fun. Boaters, rafters, jetski-ers, sunbathers, bird watchers, anglers, joggers, cyclists, campers, picnic-ers and the likes frequent the American River Parkway regularly, which is about 30 miles and 4,000 acres of pure nature and mankind mingling. And there’s one thing I’ve seen consistently on these rivers: basic manners.

Certainly, there are exceptions to every rule (jerks in every city). But we shouldn’t let them get the best of us. At least that’s my motto… Whether it’s older gentlemen in a fishing boat, teenagers crammed into a speedboat or a family floating merrily down river; whether it’s kayakers, wakeboard-ers or beach-goers, acknowledgment of one another is the norm. Whether the rivers are crowded on a holiday weekend or sparse in playmates during the week, one thing usually stands: The standard ‘I-see-you-and-share-a-common-bond-with-you’ wave. That bond being – the love of the rivers that have nourished our land for so long, and continue to elevate our spirits daily. Mother Nature can make a city beautiful, but it’s the people that make it especially grand.

[Above Photo: 'Sacramento River' by Steve Duroncelet]