Monday, May 04, 2009

Personal Space

I don't like people in my personal space. If you're an established friend or relative, you are probably exempt from this rule. If I don't know you very well or at all, stay back. 3 feet is good for most people. 6 feet is even better for some others. When I meet you, I'll swoop in for a handshake but then I'll resume my 3 foot perimeter. Don't keep moving into my face because I'll keep backing up. Take the hint. I don't mind talking to you. I rather enjoy meeting new people (well, some new people). But you insist on moving into my personal space, that's a huge turn off. I'll shut you down so fast and try to find some way to escape.
I'm this way most of the time. I don't like crowds and such. It gets worse the older I get. The whole swine flu thing has just made me that much more aware of it. Yesterday at church I was extremely sensitive to it. One guy who I didn't know had to come up and tell me a story. I guess he felt like he knew me because I used to lead worship. He got right up in my face. I know he meant well but it freaked me out.
Okay...I guess that's my rant for the day. Enjoy your day and remember to respect people's personal space.
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1 comment:

becca said...

yup, me too.
My family is about it. Which is too bad, I know. I'm supposed to get a certain amount of personal space encroachment for my health, I've heard. But it just freaks me out...
Oddly, instead of getting worse, I've gotten a little more lenient with it. I used to keep people very far away, probably 6 feet was my comfort zone.
Since having my girls, I'm not so picky. They've changed my personal space a lot. As a teacher, I had to be very careful how physically close I got to my students. Just wise. I wanted to always maintain the appearance (and reality) of innocence, and never leave any doubts. I wonder how much being a mom would affect my awareness of the 6 ft radius a teacher should maintain...

1:56 AM

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