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You’re having a dialogue with someone but you’re disinterested in the topic, or possibly distracted, yet you commit your ears out of respect to them. Without notice, your mind slowly drifts away and you begin to observe their choice of words and body language, instead of the message they are attempting to convey. While occasionally nodding your head to convey your attention to them, you are concurrently zoned in on their physical features and fathoming the idea that we, society, have defined which features should be rewarded. You then wonder what’s going on in their head, what their psychological state may be. What wars might they be waging in their head? Could they presently be harboring feelings of vulnerability because one or more of their physical features isn’t favored by the mainstream? You ponder their choice in clothes and if they might be attempting to communicate a certain status to the world, possibly compensating, or if they’re aloof to such silly notions. Was this past weekend their laundry weekend? Perhaps they have a significant other who assisted with the aforementioned chore. Your eyes slowly fall to their hands as you inconspicuously try to discern their marital status. Single. But could they have possibly forgotten their ring at home? Or maybe they’re subscribers of the belief that love doesn’t necessitate tangible symbols of commitment. You quickly return your attention to their eyes so as to erase any doubt that you weren’t paying attention. You then begin to study their uneven eyebrows, not because you’re judging, but because you can relate, and wonder if they have recently grappled with feelings of insecurity, spurred by a bad day at the salon. You become fixated on the idea of cyclical mediocrity, bringing yourself to accept that sustained perfection at the barbershop or salon is nothing more than unrealistic optimism, and that we must make peace with the inevitable ebb and flow of good days and bad days. For a moment you forget that you’re in a live conversation, and without warning, you’re prompted by one of their questions. You’re wholly aware that the next few seconds are pivotal—you could give yourself away or dodge the ensuing awkwardness with wit and swiftness of words. After a split second of panic, you escape by giving them a quick, watered-down summary of the last thing you remember them saying and end the dialogue by saying something generic like, “I’m totally with you on that,” or “yeah, I know what you mean.”