For the most part, I'm not much of a talker, especially with folks I don't know, and so things like getting my teeth cleaned, or having my toenails done, or getting my hair cut can sometimes be a little awkward. Where I am perfectly happy to sit in companionable silence, the person who is performing the service frequently has other ideas.
In the case of the dentist, it is literally impossible for me to reply, so that's not usually a problem. At the nail salon, you are free to move your head as you please, and so a magazine or electronic device can provide a distraction, but when you are in the barber's chair, not only is there nowhere else to turn your attention, there are also mirrors, so that the person behind you can make eye contact. that's where I found myself this morning.
"So are you ready for the holiday?" my stylist asked.
I smiled and shrugged. "Sort of," I told her. And then I used the trick that my six-year-old goddaughter taught me so long ago. "How about you?"
And I never had to say another word.
In the case of the dentist, it is literally impossible for me to reply, so that's not usually a problem. At the nail salon, you are free to move your head as you please, and so a magazine or electronic device can provide a distraction, but when you are in the barber's chair, not only is there nowhere else to turn your attention, there are also mirrors, so that the person behind you can make eye contact. that's where I found myself this morning.
"So are you ready for the holiday?" my stylist asked.
I smiled and shrugged. "Sort of," I told her. And then I used the trick that my six-year-old goddaughter taught me so long ago. "How about you?"
And I never had to say another word.
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