Shake.

The moment I reached out, I felt the familiar tingling in my arm. The muscles tensed automatically as my arm began to stretch. It was as if my body knew which route to take, along narrow streets, across squares, and through parks. My hand glided effortlessly above cars and along rows of trees, like a bird stretching its wings. I saw other arms moving in the same direction—strings of greetings that floated through the city on their way to a meeting. It was rush hour, you could tell that immediately.

The air was full of hands seeking each other. Some arms wound intricately around each other, like ivy on a wall. The moment when all the hands met always produced a strange kind of silence. A breathless delay in which hundreds of fingers clasped and shook each other at once. Sometimes it felt as if the city had stopped for a moment.

Yet it was at that moment that the chaos began. As my hand clenched tightly around another—the grip exactly as I remembered—I saw the tangle around me. Everywhere I looked, arms stretched out in graceful, yet confusing lines. Who belonged to whom? I followed my own arm back through alleys and over fences, wondering if I was still holding the right hand.

A few practical lessons I've learned so far:
If you want to make sure you don’t get lost in the maze of arms, it’s a good idea to wear a badge of recognition. A red ribbon around your wrist works perfectly. You only have to look at the ribbon to see which arm is yours, no matter how far it winds through the city.

In addition, it is important to stand strategically during the handshake moment. Open spaces, such as parks or squares, help you see how the arms move. On a busy street, arms can easily tangle with traffic lights, bus shelters, and passersby. It is no coincidence that people on bridges have the smoothest handshake experience.

Sometimes it's just a matter of letting go and starting over. Holding a hand tightly while there is tension on your arm can lead to painful twists or knots. A quick withdrawal followed by another extension will keep you flexible. It may sound counterintuitive, but it works.

My own hand slowly slid back toward me after the greeting. The arms around me retracted as well, like a city of creepers folding back at sunset. Some shook enthusiastically for a moment, others quickly dissolved into their original positions. For a moment, a serene silence hung over the city.

The rush hour of handshakes will always be chaotic, but with the right strategy, it can become an art form. As my fingers dangled back to their normal length at my sides, I thought about how wonderful it really was: a world where distance meant nothing and a handshake across a city was as natural as breathing.