Alotta Monkey Business

Back Off!

Written for "Invalid Item" , prompt: National Personal Space Day

Just getting online for the first time today, so I thought I better get this written first and then go visit the Newsfeed, my Notifications, and if time permits, try to get through my email. It seems like things are just staying very busy and for some reason, I feel like there just aren't as many hours in each day as we are supposed to get. It may be some kind of government conspiracy to keep everyone scrambling; instead of setting the clocks back in Autumn, they may have also increased the speed of the atomic clocks, which is affecting all our electronic clocks. After I finish this post, I may go dig out an old clock that doesn't automatically adjust to the current time and see if we are losing five or ten minutes from every hour.

Where did I get such a crazy idea? I was over at "Invalid Item"  sipping on a glass of banana beer, which surprisingly isn't that bad. Andre lumbered over and started telling me how he was having a difficult time keeping up with all the bar business (actually he does little and lets the staff run everything) and was finding it difficult to consume his normal amount of liquor every day. He mentioned this conspiracy but didn't have time to finish discussing it because he saw a patron sneaking dried banana chips from his stash.

But, this isn't about time, it's about personal space, something I firmly believe in. I do not do crowds well at all and generally feel best when I'm just around a few people, or none at all. So, what better topic than National Personal Space Day?

This is important to many people, and there are just some who insist on getting up front and too close. Especially, this time of year when the stores are crowded and everyone seems to think it's enjoyable to step right up and start a conversation.

Yesterday, my wife and I had to drive over to the town we bank in to deposit a check and do a bit of shopping. The check wouldn't deposit via the app on our phone because of the position of the watermark, and since we needed to pick up a few things, it seemed like a good day to get things done; I mean, it was early afternoon, around mid-week, and still a safe distance from Christmas.

Boy was I wrong. The traffic was heavier than I expected, especially in town. The bank was fine, not a soul in sight, but after we drove to the fleet store, the parking lot was about filled and it was wall-to-wall people inside. I decided to shop anyway, so we grabbed a cart and progressed down the aisles, but it was a challenge to swerve and avoid other shoppers, it was frustrating trying to look at anything because it seemed like whenever we stopped to look, someone would push in and stand in the way. The worst, however, was the number of people who just stepped right up to me (like four to six inches from my face) and started making small talk! (I enjoy "SMALL TALK"  here, it's always at a safe distance)

I don't know who they are, I am not interested in their pets, children, grandchildren, or where they're planning on spending the holidays. Yes the weather is nice for this time of year, but I already noticed when I stepped out my door, I don't need someone to inform me this isn't normal for our location. Being an introvert this is not only unwelcome, it's criminal!

So, in honor of National Back the F%ck Off Personal Space Day, I want to remind everyone, to respect each other's personal space... Thank you for understanding.

A proud member of "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" 

"Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J.