ANDY & GABE
WALK MILES FOR High fives
“We spend a lot of our lives doing some things on purpose, but not on a regular basis, and then we do a lot of things just because they’re right in front of us. But there’s something about doing something intentionally and being disciplined… about saying to yourself, “no matter what, I’m going to do this.” It pays dividends. It just does.”
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Every year Andy and Gabe would meet on a three-week Christmas tour. They loved hanging out. However, apart from tour, they never saw each other. Each time Christmas came around they would make a promise to hang out over the other months of the year. But year after year they found themselves back in the same spot saying,
“Why haven’t I seen you since last year? We have so much fun.”
This pattern continued for 15 years. Hang out on tour. Get home. Nothing.
Then one day far from Christmas, the two bumped into each other at a party and they realised that Gabe had moved a mile and a half from Andy’s house. Now it was even worse they lived so close and didn’t see each other.
So the two made a pact.
“Let’s text each other, leave our house at the same time, and meet in the middle for a high five,” Andy said. “That way we can see each other more often and make it onto our wives favourite TV show.” (Sunrise Morning is a show that broadcasts heartwarming human interest stories).
Gabe was in.
That week Andy sent Gabe a text with one emoji: a hand. Gabe sent one back. Then they each sent a walking man emoji to show they were on their way.
They met smack in the middle, gave each other a high five, and chatted for a few hours before they turned around and went home.
Now if Andy and Gabe had of done this once, it wouldn’t be much of a story. I wouldn’t be writing about them and certainly no TV show would be either. But the two decided to dedicate themselves to this simple act… every week... for. ten. years.
The first few times it was great and the two revelled in their newfound promise to each other. Though life caught up and they struggled to find the time and motivation to fit it in their busy lives.
That’s when they invented the silent high five. Before the silent high five walk, one would send a different emoji alongside the hand to signify they didn’t have time to talk, yet were still committed to the pact. The rule for the silent high five is that when you get to the middle, you don’t talk or make eye contact. You walk twenty paces past each other, turn around, give each other a high five and carry on home without saying a word.
It was on the first silent walk where Andy began to doubt the idea.
“This is really stupid,” he thought. “I don’t know if I can do this for ten years.”
All he wanted to do was talk to his buddy and have fun. The moment he gave Gabe that first silent high five, his attitude changed.
“It was exhilarating. I felt like I could do anything,” Andy said. “I realised someone was willing to take a few hours of their day just to give me a high five. No one does that.”
And so the tradition continued. Some days in silence, some days with a whole lot of banter in between.
After the first fleet of high five romance, Andy and Gabe bumped into seasons where they got tired and simply didn’t feel like walking a mile and a half for a high five. But it became a habit that etched itself into the routine of their lives.
The two went on their first high five walk in April 2014 and have kept the tradition to this very day.
They continue to run into days where it’s cold and windy, it sucks, and it completely interferes with schedule. However, they realise there’s more behind it than just having a good time. It’s about being intentional with their friendship, for making time for what’s important in life. Each high five says, ‘I’m going to go out of my way and out of my time to show you I’m here, and I’m going to be your friend today and tomorrow.’
As the line in one of Andy’s songs goes: knowing small things matter is really no small thing. Knowing small things matter changes everything.
The high five walk started as something so simple it was almost too silly a thing to continue. Their goal was just to see each other more often — they didn’t realise how big of a part of each other’s lives they’d become.
“Sometimes I think it’s an exercise in doing something that isn’t efficient. It’s not good for business. It’s not productive time. It’s not a network thing… It’s essentially wasting time. But how important is wasting time? If anything, this feels like one of the more substantial things I do with my life.”
And that’s Andy and Gabe. They get a badge for doing life together through faithful high fives delivered by the week.