I always find it interesting to notice when it is and isn’t appropriate to say “hello” or wave to someone you recently met as you walk past. Middlebury College is a small school so I find myself passing these “awkward acquaintances” quite frequently. Some people seem very good at making connections with people they have only just met, whereas I often find it takes me a few introductions to make a connection with someone. I wonder what the root of this is? Does it depend on the person’s social skills or extraversion, the setting, the context in which they first met, or something else entirely?
I have also noticed people’s attention to saying hello when passing someone you met the other night at dinner or recognize them from your Spanish class. Personally, I think people tend to over think this idea. Why not say hello to the boy from psychology or the girl that lives down the hall? The small acknowledgment will help to avoid these awkward situations.
This is a very interesting thing to notice, Anna. I have had a hard time remembering to notice my physical awareness and empathy in day to day life, but bringing up this one example gave me a “moment” (or many) in my day to zoom in on. The question of which of those “awkward acquaintances” we say hello to reminds me of the mirroring exercise we did. Often in those situations of whether or not say hello to someone, I find myself mirroring their body language or words, and I imagine they are doing the same to me. As we approach each other on the side walk or in the dining hall, I think there’s always an anticipation of what the other person will do, which is like when we tried to mirror each others movements.