Child birth. Your first car. Your wedding, and ultimately your divorce. Life is full of experiences that affect and change our outlook on the world. While most life-changing events are positive and memorable, many events we encounter on a daily basis have the potential to affect us in another way - by making us feel incredibly uncomfortable. These awkward situations can leave a lasting impact on our psyche and make the little things in life feel much bigger. It's about time we looked at these things, and figured out a solution to moving on after experiencing one of these "unfortunate" circumstances.
"The Stranger"
The Stranger is a common mistake for most people. The Stranger looks like someone you know from a distance, and as you're mid-way into your greeting, you realize it's not who you thought it was, but by then, it's too late. You've just committed to The Stranger. The Stranger has varying degrees, depending on the severity of awkwardness. The chart below helps to illustrate this fact.
Code Blue Waving to The Stranger from a distance
Code Green Waving/Saying Hello to The Stranger at a close distance
Code Yellow Yelling your friend's name at The Stranger
Code Orange Inside joke to The Stranger
Code Red Face-to-face contact in a personal setting
So how do you move on after encountering The Stranger? It's best to diffuse the awkwardness by explaining the situation to The Stranger, and introducing yourself. This is an easy way to find out The Stranger's identity, so you can plot your revenge - or add them on Facebook, and become acquaintances.
Awkward Bathroom Situations
The bathroom is a very personal area, which allows the opportunity for many awkward situations to arise. Extreme caution must be used when dealing with public restrooms; however, some situations cannot be stopped.
1. The Urinal Buffer Zone Violation
Guys know and understand that adequate space must be given when using urinals. It's an unwritten code that all guys follow to protect privacy and comfort. When using a urinal, a minimum space of 1 urinal must be given to another user, unless it is unavoidable. If adequate space is not available, then stalls must be used. It is acceptable to use a neighboring urinal if these options are exhausted. There are only a few other situations that make a guy feel more uncomfortable than when a stranger parks up right next to you in the bathroom, while your boy is out there in the public eye. There is really no way to come back from this situation. It's best to get out as soon as you can (consider washing your hands in another restroom) and wipe the incident from your memory.
2. The Talker
Every guy also knows that it is inappropriate to have a conversation mid-stream standing at the urinal. No matter how comfortable you are with the person, the fact still remains: both parties have contact with their members while talking to another man. This might sound homophobic, but the fact still remains - it's awkward. End any chance of a continuing conversation by ignoring comments made by The Talker, and like the buffer zone violation, get out as soon as you can. If The Talker is a friend of yours, continue the conversation after you both have finished.
3. The Mystery Pube
I don't know if you ladies experience this one at all, but why is it every time you go to use a public toilet, there is one conspicuous pubic hair resting on the top of the rim? Who is pulling out their pubes when they are using the restroom? I won't speak for everyone, but when I'm using a public restroom, I get in, do my business, and get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. Mystery Pubes are always awkward, but they always seem to merit a chuckle.
The Walking Shuffle
The Walking Shuffle is that moment that I guarantee everyone has experienced at least once in the last 30 days. It's when you're walking the opposite direction as another passerby, and you try to get out of the way as the person moves the same direction as you at the exact time. Then, you both instinctively try to move the other way at the exact same time the other does, which puts you and the other person into this "shuffle" to get by. Don't be fooled by the title, however, the shuffle can happen between two bikes, a walker and a bike, a walker and a car, a bike and a car, and so forth. This is really a common awkward moment, so don't feel too bad when it happens to you.
When it comes down to it, life is full of awkward moments that are unavoidable. It's best to move on, and maybe start a blog explaining all the different kinds. It's worked for me so far, because I can say all kinds of random things without the worry of an awkward moment that could arise saying these things in person.
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