Hoth
1
A week or so ago I tried out a new coping experiment. I was tired of how nerve-wracking it is to encounter people going the opposite direction when I walk around the lake. It's scary because I worry they'll say something and I'll offend them by freezing up or even responding awkwardly. The experiment was to resolve ahead of time that I would ignore everyone and let them think what they will. It worked great -- nobody tried to say anything to me and my anxiety was way down that day.
This morning, the experience was quite different. An old man said "good morning." I was caught halfway between ignoring and giving a sort of nod. He scoffed and said to his wife, "He's either deaf or he completely ignored me!" So I felt horrible, an evil person who goes around offending the elderly. A few minutes later another old man (by himself, so a little less threatening) said "good morning", and that time I managed a quietly mumbled "morning" in reply. I avoided looking at him so that I wouldn't know if he was making a face that indicated he thought I was acting crazy, of course. Finally, a young woman jogged by with yet another "good morning"... this time I froze up, my mouth moved a little but nothing came out, but fortunately she didn't have anyone there to complain about me to and was moving fast.
The moral? Never get up before noon.
This morning, the experience was quite different. An old man said "good morning." I was caught halfway between ignoring and giving a sort of nod. He scoffed and said to his wife, "He's either deaf or he completely ignored me!" So I felt horrible, an evil person who goes around offending the elderly. A few minutes later another old man (by himself, so a little less threatening) said "good morning", and that time I managed a quietly mumbled "morning" in reply. I avoided looking at him so that I wouldn't know if he was making a face that indicated he thought I was acting crazy, of course. Finally, a young woman jogged by with yet another "good morning"... this time I froze up, my mouth moved a little but nothing came out, but fortunately she didn't have anyone there to complain about me to and was moving fast.
The moral? Never get up before noon.