Personal Space

I went out for lunch to run some errands and decided to pick up a sandwich from Quiznos on my way back to the office. While waiting in line to place my order, I noticed someone hovering at my sholder. I tried not to get annoyed because I can understand trying to peak over the window separating us from the food items. I also know that some cultures do not know the meaning of personal space. As I look over my sholder, I see a tall, gangly, pimply-faced teenage boy beside me. No culteral excuse for this guy.

I place my order and move on down the line. Again, my new shadow is hovering at my sholder. I'm starting to get annoyed. The devil in me is ready to turn and tell they kid to back off. The angel in me says, chill out. Maybe he is trying to make sure they don't screw up his order.

I get up to the cash register and start paying for my meal. THERE HE IS AGAIN! This time, he doesn't have an excuse. No reason he should be breathing down my neck. I'm ready to snarl at him when the nice lady behind the counter says, "Thanks for choosing Quiznos. Have a nice day!" Her cheerful attitude (even though she is a cashier at Quiznos) neutralizes my annoyed feelings. Instead of being mean to zit-boy, I quickly exit and head for my car.

Isn't it strange how little things make a person seem odd or foreign? Like standing too close. When I first realized the person behind me was standing way too close for my comfort, my first thought was that they were probably not from the US. Maybe it's because we have so much extra space here (big houses, big cars, etc) that we even prefer extra space around ourselves too. Or maybe it's just me.