What is with all the personal space invaders out in the world???

All right, I like people. I’m the woman who bitches that people aren’t friendly enough out in the world. I love small chat in a check out line, I enjoy smiling at strangers, especially the ones who look like they need it the most. I thrive on being friendly, the friendlier I am the better my day goes. But, let’s not get friendly twisted with invading people’s personal space. This, my friends, is a completely different matter all togehter.

Yesterday Brianna, Mikaela and I were downtown looking at the Christmas windows and getting a few decorations to add to our tree this year. We were literally leaned against, and stood too close to a good half dozen times. While looking at things, and while paying for our items we had personal space invaders all around us. At Sephora we had a woman literally walk right toward us, as we were pondering which hand masks would be the most hydrating during this time of indoor hot air, and I’m not exaggerating – walked right through the three of us. Not around us, not beside us, but THROUGH US. We were all like WTAF?? I mean she had the entire rest of the store to move around – why she needed to cut directly through us remains a mystery to the three of us.

The day before we had a woman coming in behind us into a store where we were buying a hat for Mikaela, because it decided to go below zero overnight and she didn’t bring her toque with her from her ski bag in LA, and this woman was not only basically glued to us as we entered the store, but she also did the walk through us move, instead of going around. It’s not like we were walking three across either, I mean if we had been I would say bitch go for it, that is the rudest thing ever when a group of people take up the entire sidewalk or the entire doorway into a store. I don’t go for that either, but normally I say; “excuse me” as I make my way around them. But plowing directly through a group, is not polite no matter how rude they’re being. I don’t like to respond in kind to people when they’re being thoughtless. I attempt to do what Michelle Obama suggest; “When they go low we go high.” Even when people cut lines, and bang into me, I try to emulate that rock star of a woman.

I recall one night where Yannick and I had to deal with probably the worst personal space invader outside of flying economy. We had opted for not sitting at a table at a crowded restaurant, we wanted some privacy and to be able to have conversation without other people listening in, so we sat at the empty bar. This bar had ten seats on the long side and four on the short, so we sat on the short side, in the middle ensuring that we wouldn’t end up with a couple beside us. Also, not to sound like total assholes, but there were still plenty of tables available in the restaurant and some high tops around the bar, we weren’t being bar hogs, just trying to have some quality conversation during our date. We were happy as happy could be, until a couple walked in, started walking to a table for two, and then turned around to come to the bar. Cool, no problem there is an entire ten seats for them to chose from, both couples will have their own space while dining. But did they do that? No, no they did not. I’ll tell you what they did do, the wife plopped down on the corner of the bar basically staring right into our eyes. I was like; “are you serious right now??? There are ten seats and she’s going to sit RIGHT THERE??” Yannick leaned into and pondered; “My love I’m sure they’re just having drinks, they’re probably just waiting for a better table to become available.” I decided to go with that, and have a good attitude about it, although I brought my speaking voice down considerably since she was basically in my lap now. Then she did this wild thing, instead of putting her purse beside her husband, or on a stool next to him, she put her bag right beside mine, as in almost ON TOP of mine and I was stunned. Personal space invader expert. This woman didn’t give one f*#k about us wanting our space, and clearly had no need for any personal space of her own.

I’d love to tell you that they only stayed for cocktails but that would be a lie. They stayed and had their entire dinner there, right on top of us. I’ll never understand why people bang into other people, or walk right through them as if they’re not even there, or in the case of this woman, sit literally on top of you when there are other options that would allow them not to…

Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm indeed.