Socially distant

The free societies have SO many rules.  The only time I notice the really intricate ones is when I unintentionally break any.  Like the first time I broke the “seating rules” in a subway train.  It was the old kind of train.  Bench seats with a slippery cover.  On one of the seats there were two women.  And there was some space between them.  I went and sat between the two women.  One of them looked at me with an openly disgusted look, and stood up.

It took me a few days to figure out… it doesn’t matter if there was space, the seat was “meant” for two people.  I had encroached.  In the all-precious personal space.  Unforgivable!

And if there are available seats, the priority is to choose one that’s not next to anyone already sitting, unless I really “have” to.

Now I know better.  At the bar stools in a coffee shop, for instance, I wouldn’t sit right next to anyone, if there was a place further ahead.  Or I could sit there, but would get a “what’s wrong with you” look.

We have to preserve the hard-won freedom to have socially expected and acceptable distance.  And then pay someone to teach us how to have meaningful conversations.  While we’re safely sitting 2 seats away.

We’re funny.