On the train to Washington a man sat down across from me reeking of cheap cologne.
“Is that tray in front of you yours?” he demanded.
“Well, yeah,” I replied, somewhat confused, looking from him to the tray with my coffee cup in it.
“Well,” he said, “I want to throw it away. The trash you have on it offends me…”
Okaaay…
And then there was the lady several seats away YELLING into her cell phone… Yikes! The Quiet Car
How aware are we of where our boundaries end and someone else’s begin?
What do ya say? Have any interesting boundary stories to share?
(To comment: click on "comments" - write in the box, then go to "comment as" and choose how you want to sign in, then click publish)
Boundaries are key. I sit in a cube at work and the person next to me chomps her gum, talks (screams) all the time. It is so annoying. My ear plugs don't even block her out. I've politely asked her to stop, but she says she's crazy and can't. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteSounds like she has a pretty good "gig" going! Crazy, huh? What a wild excuse. Maybe you should tell her you are even crazier and you dump water on the heads of people who talk so loud as a way of "helping" them? OK maybe not, but at least you can imagine saying it - and doing it - and have a good laugh...
DeleteIt seems to me like at some point there was a meeting of all subway patrons and we agreed that it's ok to practice rapping as loud as you'd like while listening to your headphones. I wish I had been there to offer some opposition.
ReplyDeleteOnce I was sitting on a bus late at night, and across from me sat down a woman with at least a dozen wigs piled on her head, all tied down with a long scarf. I couldn't stop staring! After about 5 minutes she pulled a big piece of paper out of her bag and unfolded it. "Stop persecuting me," it said in large blace letters.
ReplyDeleteUnlike what they say about teeth (ignore them and they'll go away) some people need to be reminded of boundaries. My case in point, and I think we all have had this happen, is the person who just decides that you are "best friends", completely uninvited to do so.although maybe good at heart, and completely unintentioned, I think it's better to speak to this person sooner rather than later. Their reaction may be very unpleasant, but better do it now before you're the one acting irrationally!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the great additions to this post!
ReplyDelete