Get Out of My Bubble!
Yes, personal space is still a thing.
An elderly gentleman approached me at work today and asked if I’d like to hear a joke. I replied, “sure.” He then proceeded to stand about six inches away from me the entire time he was talking. When I tried to take a step back casually, he would inadvertently take a step forward to maintain the same distance (or lack thereof).
My resulting plea to the general public is this: please do not be like this person!
There are many reasons to respect other people’s personal space and comfort zones, mainly being a decent human being.
Let me share some of my reasoning with you:
Pandemic Concerns
I have always been a big proponent of personal space, but living amid a global pandemic for the last year and a half has made it even more critical. We are supposed to keep a minimum of six feet apart as a safety precaution. So many people are not remotely following these guidelines.
Working in retail gives me a never-ending glimpse into the continued indifference of the general public. Personal space is apparently not a thing for a large portion of the population, even when that could amount to a life-saving behavior.
We need to change this!
Keep Your Hands to Yourself!
Pandemic aside, I can’t count the number of times customers have passed by me at work and poked me in the shoulder, tapped my arm, or used some other manner of physical contact to get my attention. One guy even used to grab my shoulders in a death grip and hang on to me the entire time he talked to me — every time he came in the store! No part of this scenario is remotely okay with me.
The first rule of interacting with strangers should be “keep your hands to yourself!” It’s really not that difficult a concept to grasp. If you want to get my attention, use your words! Or wave in my direction.
You do not have the right to put your hands on me, even if it’s just in a joking manner. I have a comfort zone, and you are violating it when you don’t respect my boundaries.
Do better.
