A Nod Will Suffice

Confession: I am not a small-talker. In fact, I HATE small talk. It could be that I am socially inept, or shy, or just have nothing interesting to say. But I really don't understand the compulsion that people have to fill in the silence. I actually like quiet moments. I hate the obligatory hallway greeting, said to every person you pass regardless of how many times you've passed them already that day. I hate the "half day?" comment you get when you are waiting for the elevator at 5:PM. I hate the "thank god it's friday" or "just one more day!" overly-cheerful statements. I don't want any part of the small talk arena... possibly because I totally just suck at it?

Stupid, typical things come out of my mouth when I am confronted with these kinds of situations. I talk about the weather. I mumble. I am not funny or the least bit witty or cool or even semi-intelligent and I'm really bad at the fake smile. I run out of things to say and become uncomfortable. I feel compelled to fill in the silence with inane comments, then perpetuating the small talk cycle. Half of the time, I have no idea who the person I'm talking to is... if you are not a friend of mine, chances are, I will not recognize you or even know which department you work in when we meet up outside of the workplace. I am the type of person who will avoid you in the subway or cross the street if we are walking in the same direction just to avoid the small talk. By the way, this has nothing to do with you as a person (it's not YOU, it's ME!). So let's make a pact... if you see me, simply say "hi", or even just nod a hello, and keep it at that. I won't mind. In fact, I will silently thank you.