Blog: Baker style

The other day, while I was walking to my Politics class in the wonderful 70-degree warm, fall weather I saw someone. This someone’s name is Mallory and we also have history and geology together. We have the “quick smile-say hi-how are you and then go on with your life” relationship. We know each other but we do not know each other. We don’t know each other’s friends, family or past experiences. We simply know each other in passing. Hardly a friendship, perhaps more of an acquaintance. But when do you cross the line from acquaintance to friendship?  As I was walking , making the crunch crunch sound from the fallen leaves on the ground, I saw her just a few feet diagonal from where I was.  I knew her destination because it was the same as where I was headed but in my mind I was having a mini meltdown: Do I speed up to catch up to her? Do I slow down to distance myself from her? Do I acknowledge her? Do I say her name? Do I say hi? Do I walk with her to class? Does she want to walk with me? What will we talk about? Will there be awkward silences? If she were in my position would she call my name and say hi? I went through every single scenario possible and in the end I chose to do nothing about it but simply go on walking a few feet away from her, yet she’s still in my direct line of sight as we are both headed to the same class.

How many times in a day, a month, a year, a lifetime do we encounter this type of social situation? And are the outcomes different sometimes? What is it about social situations that cause people to become so frightened and scared. Looking back it seems simple what I should have done. I should have been the friendly person I claim to be and said hello and made a nice conversation but it seems it is always easier to look back and think of what we should have done.