Hallway Etiquette

Remember in high school when you were in the hallway between classes and there was that one other person coming down the hallway? You know them, but not that well. Or, you had some awkward interaction with them in the past and you would just rather not see them.

You know what I'm talking about. You're at work, you're heading to the bathroom, and in the distance here comes that person that you would just, rather not see. You groan under your breath. You might sigh. Do you pretend to check your phone for a text? Do you take a fake phone call?

We have hallway options. Here are a few great ones I've seen (I'll never admit to doing any of these):

1. Head down. The whole time. No eye contact.
2. Looking past the person, like there is something SO interesting behind them. No eye contact.
3. Head turned the other way. Sometimes WAY the other way. Hey, what's out the window? I don't care, it's gotta be better than talking to you.
4. Phantom phone call. Listening to a voicemail? Checking the invisible text? Yeah, you're not fooling anyone.
5. Head nod. Acknowledgement, but no words.

As I got older, I guess I thought that hallway etiquette would become more black and white. It's really not. Now, I think I tend to overcompensate. Am I being authentic? Am I being considerate? Did I just sound fake when I asked how that person was?

I would like to propose that we outlaw the "How are you?" question in a passing hallway conversation. I never stop and want an answer. What if, instead of getting the reply of "Good, how are you?" I got the sometimes painfully honest answer of "I'm actually not good, and I'm so glad you asked me because I would love to talk to someone about it." 

If someone answered me in that way, I would already be too far out of earshot to hear them, because I simply, don't wait for an answer, nor do I expect one.

When we ask someone how they are, are we just being polite? What's the slogan of MTV's The Real World? Let's stop being polite, and start getting real. And I don't mean reality show real, I mean, being willing to share pain real. And that starts with a stop in the hallway.

Who's keeping it real NOW?!

-Liz