Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side, of course. Yet while crossing the street, there are certain rules that the Mr. Chicken must follow, such as walking in the designated crosswalk lane, looking both ways before crossing, and crossing in a safe and timely manner.

What Mr. Chicken did not know, however, was that there are certain informal rules to be followed. What if there was a car that let Mr. Chicken cross the street out of courtesy, rather than turning him into road wings? Mr. Chicken should be grateful that the driver stopped and let him cross the street. He should give a nice feathery wave to show his gratitude.

When Mr. Chicken waves, it shows that said Mr. Chicken is grateful for the showing of kindness, and it gives the driver a sense of appreciation, knowing that their kindness was well received. This is a great interaction on the road, and one that might even make someone’s day.

Then there are those other chickens, however, that do not wave. When the driver slows down and lets this chicken cross, the chicken puts his head down and walks across, not acknowledging the driver at all. The driver’s act of kindness was not reciprocated. This makes the driver feel a bit negative. When the chicken finishes crossing, the driver goes on without a nice feeling. The driver could have had a nice feeling, if only the chicken had waved. The driver may even think that the chicken is ungrateful. Not a great feeling to have.

Was the chicken shy? Was the chicken too busy sending an important text to his boss not to wave? The driver, or even the world, may never know.

Sometimes Mr. Chicken takes it for granted that the cars in life would stop to let him cross the street. Though drivers should be considerate of pedestrians on the road, the pedestrians should be considerate as well. Whether it be at a crosswalk on campus or at Walmart, cars should stop and let those walking cross the road.

Whether you are crossing the street with Mr. Chicken or by yourself, you should always wave when a car lets you cross the street. It could make everyone’s day a bit better.

Paul Tointigh is a third-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.