By merely reading the title of this post, some would instantly conclude that my mouth got me into trouble again. To my dismay, it wasn’t my mouth that got me in trouble this time. Sometimes, I have this bad habit of exercising what most would call “selective listening.” This practice is usually brought on with having to sit and listen during awkward situations with long-winded people. You can pinpoint this situation by observing a few gestures ranging from the “head nod,” “yawn,” “eyes glazed over,” or the blatant look of “boredom.” In my particular situation, none of these gestures were factors as the dilemma came by text message. Normally, when someone asks if “we can hangout some time,” I instantaneously take this statement at face-value. I assume that normal people do the same, but when a guy states this, I completely forget that it may mean something else. When a guy asked me if we could hangout sometime and I replied, “sure,” I did not intend to lead this fellow to believe that I felt anything but friendship for him. I barely know the guy and don’t want to send him mixed signals, especially because I just don’t like him in that manner. How did I get myself into this little situation? I can’t help but laugh. This is so silly. Still, I’ve been careful not to hurt anyone’s feelings in the delicate handling of this issue. The more important question is “how do I get myself out of this?” Distance always worked in the past. Be cordial but provide some twenty feet breathing room. Do you think this would work? I could just frankly tell the guy, but the last time I did this, one guy acted as if he never heard me. I guess he also practiced some “selective listening.” The common retort of “I simply like someone else” seems golden to me at the moment. I don’t know. I tire of this. I’m open to some friendly advice. Lord, please pull me out.
Love,
Ari
