When you begin living somewhere you also begin developing routes of motion.  They are usually based from your house and flow out to your job, the places you get your groceries, the sports team or gym you join and where you enjoy your coffee.  Gradually you learn to enjoy the people at each of those places.  They are the friendly face that knows you don’t want your items in a bag because you prefer to carry them.  They are the hands that make your sandwich and give you an extra pickle on the side.  They are the person who recommends a book or cd based on your past conversations or some shared bit of information.

This transfer of information is non-invasive and seems mundane, even comforting as it builds into a familiar patter of talk, even if it’s not always much more than pleasantries.

Then comes the day when you walk into the local drugstore to buy hand lotion and it’s the character from your soccer team working the register.  WELL HELLO NON SEQUITUR.  It’s as though your life was following that comfortable pattern and suddenly the conversation seems to veer unexpectedly.

“Pass the ball over here!” is followed by,

“Would you like to purchase one of our oreo cookie sandwich specials along with that?”

Now that sacrosanct pathways have been jerked together and forced into uncomfortable proximity though there arises new information.  It’s not every day that you are able to shake off informality and turn it into more formal situations.  It’s not every day that you’re able to change relationship dynamics.  One day you might get that chance though, and it’ll be interesting. You could even blog about it.

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