I’m in no hurry to go back to shaking hands.
Hugs, yes. (Though I have some thoughts on that too.)
But the handshake I think we can maybe scrap forever.
Ugh. I’m thinking suddenly of all the hideous hands I’ve shaken and some really awful handshakes, the limp wrist affairs, the sweaty palms, the vice grips. The creepy lingering ones. Yeah, enough.
“Hello, nice to meet you” can so easily be accompanied by a nod or pirouette, a short expressive dance, a tap dance!, hand over heart, an elbow or ankle bump, a high pitched yip! or big toothy grin. It’s endless really.
Think of all the colds we’d save ourselves.
And the pleasure of meeting would be so much more pleasurable.
Matilda Magtree 
Here here, finally! I totally agree!
Oh good. If there’s enough of us it’ll become a thing. (:
Hand over heart is nice for me, you taught me this one. No more hand shakes.
Hand over heart, yes. Has so much more meaning too.
What great ideas for replacing hand shakes. Such fun possibilities!
Right? (fun instead of ugh)
I like your ideas for alternatives. Another one, common in several Asian countries, is joined hands (your own I mean) and a small bow. But a pirouette sounds fun. I stopped holding my hand out years ago because of working with international students and realizing that not only did many not have that custom but for some it was actually disturbing or impossible. Plus the reasons you give here–vice grip is so painful when you have arthritis!
Good point. Not everyone is of a handshaking culture (or inclination) so why foist it upon one another. The clasped hands bow sounds beautiful and I can see putting as much feeling as you’d like into such a gesture.