Working on a university campus, it is not rare to randomly run into someone you know at an intersection between two major walkways, and to pause to chat about this or that (I am a poet).
Today I discovered what I will henceforth refer to as The Awkwardly Prolonged Interaction. It occurs as follows:
1) You encouter an acquaintance at an intersection, and decide to renew social bonds with said person by engaging in a brief, polite conversation.
2) The conversation ends, usually on a pleasant note.
3) You each move to go your seperate ways, only to discover that you are both going the same direction.
You now have a choice. Do you:
A) attempt to resume the previous conversation by adding unnecesary and (usually) boring details?
B) attempt to continue on in a companionable silence, which usually just feels awkward?
C) attempt to begin a new conversation, with the knowledge that at any moment you may part paths, and have to either truncate said conversation or else take another pause to finish it?
Or
D) pretend that you are going different directions anyway, and ignore the other person?
Maybe I'll have to start a poll of the week.
1 comment:
Personally, this is my favorite time to suggest that we sing a song together and do a little line dance! I find that this often reminds folks of an errand in the opposite direction!
Mom-in-law
Post a Comment