213) Awkward Turtles

(Mini aside - A small dose of corny before I begin tonight. I was thinking about what to write tonight, and searching through some old emails for inspiration (sometimes if something strikes me, I'll email myself). I came across the email I blasted to some friends and family when I first started The Plan. Reading everyone's responses and words of encouragement was a fantastic reminder of why I started writing, and how excited I was to start the project. So THANK YOU for your continued interest and support. It means so much!)


(Image from The Pallet Tribunes.)

I've always been fascinated by awkward social situations. Once you've gotten over the initial uncomfortable embarrassment over your public (or private) display for awkward, it's sort of fun to analyze. Awkward moments, while small snippets of one's overall day or life, have the power to unify us through our shared embarrassment. I'm not talking the full on mortification of farting in a silent elevator, or tripping and falling down the subway stairs (it's only a matter of time for me). Awkward social situations are more subtle, nuanced little hiccups that involve another person. Everyone can relate to that stilted feeling of awkward (have you ever seen a more perfect word? A "k" sandwiched between two "w"s is definitely awkward).

Some of my favorites:
- Waving to someone you think is waving to you, but is actually waving to someone behind you.
- That back and forth dance you do when you try to pass someone in a hall - you get trapped in this perfectly synchronized shuffle as you keep getting in each other's way.
- The ill-timed phone conversation sign off where each steps on the other's goodbye and you're not sure if they heard you, so you either accidentally hang up on them or wait silently until they hang up.
- Saying a heartfelt and prolonged goodbye to someone and then realizing that you're walking in the same direction as them. The second goodbye is always a ghost of the first.

Note on the image: The universal hand gesture for awkward turtle. The diagram above explains. I think it's the perfect iteration of awkward social situations. I have no idea what the characters mean, so hopefully it's an unoffensive how-to.