Is It Me?

How long do you give a person before you decide if they are worth your time or not? 

Personally, I make a pretty quick determination. Not that I won't give the person in question a second chance. I trust my gut, and usually, the first time you meet someone they are on their best behavior, so what they are showing you then is the best version of themselves.

I met some new people this weekend and I must say either I need to calm down, or they need to figure themselves out. My husband belongs to a charitable organization where some of the tenets to belong involve not talking about religion, money, or politics. The charity is based focused on helping children with various ailments get help at no cost to their families, insurance or not.

Within minutes of meeting them (I have been in large, loud rooms with these people before but have never had conversations with them) one refused to make eye contact or any kind, and the other started talking about how much money they make. And the one without eye contact sat in the middle of the space we were in with her back just to me and my daughter. 

Given that her action essentially forced us out of the conversation, my daughter and I decided we had better places to be. Now, I can see how I could have moved and inserted myself back into the conversation. But that is not how I am. 

It's moments like this that I go over in my head later when I can't sleep. I have been a member of this group longer, but they clearly have spent more time around each other. Yes, it could have been an imagined slight, but I was raised that you never put your back to people in a crowd you are in, and if you can't help it, you at least apologize. Given that both of these women are older than I am, you would think they would have the manners part down. 

I get we have been mostly in solitude for the last couple of years, but manners are generally something that lives in the back of your head like riding a bike, and they come out when needed. I am not egocentric enough to think that it was really done on purpose, but I can't say it made me super excited to befriend either one of them. 

So what's your take? Do I need to relax? Do they need to step up their game? Or both? Making friends as an adult is hard work, maybe just for me. 

Music Corner

Today's song is kind of a gimme considering what went on. Why Can't We Be Friends by War has been covered so many times, and even if people don't know the whole song, they know the chorus line. Released in 1975, the chorus line is repeated something like forty times within the just under four-minute song. The different members of the band take turns singing it gives the song a unique sound. 

It was also played in space for US and Russian astronauts when they were working on a project together. 

Shopping Corner

How To Win Friends and Influence People (Maybe I need this, lol)

Do Unto Otters - A Book About Manners

Set Boundaries - We all need more of this