I started off today full of bile and crankiness after reading the latest salvos from the “Hey, we’re morons” camp. You know of what I speak – the Kevin Trudeau book, Pat Robinson’s latest gaffe, Intelligent design. But eventually, I got tired of ranting and gave up, figuring nobody wants to read me yelling at idiots, because idiots don’t read my blog anyway. In fact only brilliant, funny, and dazzlingly good looking people read my blog, and all of them probably don’t feel all that different than I do about the moronization of America. So, instead I’m changing topics to something I’ve noticed around the office lately – greeting strangers.
I work in a pretty big office environment, where I’m fortunate enough to know many people. Of course, I also am complete strangers with even more people, because I simply don’t interact with enough people on a regular basis to learn everybody’s names and what they do. After all, I have to keep doggedly pursuing my quest to find the latest and greatest in door hardware technology.
But there are certain people that I work near, who I see on a regular basis. Not enough to actually talk to them, but enough to recognize them. And since I don’t know their names, I find myself at a loss for words when I pass them in the halls. I don’t feel close enough to them to say hello, nor so I have the time to introduce myself and have a long conversation. But I want to at least acknowledge their existence. I also believe they want to do the same with me. So I’ve developed what I call the “Grimace Greeting” – where each person sort of purses their lips and nods as a way of saying “Hey, I see you there and know that we work somewhat nearby each other – I recognize our shared existence.” This greeting then allows me to be somewhat social with those people that don’t quite deserve the “Smile Greeting” but who are above the level of “Complete Indifference”. I’m sure I didn’t invent it, because everyone I give it to returns the Grimace Greeting as though they totally understand the intent.
If I didn’t invent it though, I want credit for naming it. Does this sort of thing happen anywhere else? Or is it specific to my weird workplace? How do you greet strangers that you see on a regular basis but never talk to?
I work in a pretty big office environment, where I’m fortunate enough to know many people. Of course, I also am complete strangers with even more people, because I simply don’t interact with enough people on a regular basis to learn everybody’s names and what they do. After all, I have to keep doggedly pursuing my quest to find the latest and greatest in door hardware technology.
But there are certain people that I work near, who I see on a regular basis. Not enough to actually talk to them, but enough to recognize them. And since I don’t know their names, I find myself at a loss for words when I pass them in the halls. I don’t feel close enough to them to say hello, nor so I have the time to introduce myself and have a long conversation. But I want to at least acknowledge their existence. I also believe they want to do the same with me. So I’ve developed what I call the “Grimace Greeting” – where each person sort of purses their lips and nods as a way of saying “Hey, I see you there and know that we work somewhat nearby each other – I recognize our shared existence.” This greeting then allows me to be somewhat social with those people that don’t quite deserve the “Smile Greeting” but who are above the level of “Complete Indifference”. I’m sure I didn’t invent it, because everyone I give it to returns the Grimace Greeting as though they totally understand the intent.
If I didn’t invent it though, I want credit for naming it. Does this sort of thing happen anywhere else? Or is it specific to my weird workplace? How do you greet strangers that you see on a regular basis but never talk to?
Comments
It seems rude to stare at the floor without acknowledging this person, so I usually go with the grimaced smile and the almost-imperceptible nod - as if to say, "I see you there and I recognize that you're not sure how to handle this interaction either."
I've always had this problem - like at Our Alma Mater when you'd be walking along a long sidewalk and see someone coming toward you, what do you do? Avoid eye contact? Say hi too early? Remember something you needed to fish out of your backpack? Watch the vultures overhead?