Have you ever just waved at someone thinking they were waving at you, only to realize they were not? Moments like these are small, harmless, and happen to everybody. Yet, they still keep us awake at night.
Awkward moments like these are unavoidable in everyday life. In an interview with someone who’d like to stay anonymous, ”I was waiting to meet my girlfriend so I could propose to her, and when I saw her I ran up and popped the question. That was not my girlfriend. She said yes for some reason and it was kinda hard to tell her that it was a mistake. The reception is in a few weeks… should I still invite my girlfriend to the wedding?”. These situations are not serious since they’re things that you can laugh at with your friends but they also create a sense of discomfort in the moment.
A common situation is when you’re ordering food and reply with “You too!” to the waiter after they tell you to enjoy your meal. Sitting in your chair, sweating, an awkward silence between you two – it’s downright humiliating.
Technology has also resulted in many similar situations. When you’re sending a text to the wrong person, liking someone’s old post while scrolling, or even leaving someone on read or not seeing the notification for a while.
Though these moments may feel humiliating, there’s still ways to recover. A good rebound could even improve the situation and your status. When you accidentally wave at the wrong person, a foolproof way to redeem yourself is to slick your hair back – if you’re bald please refer to the formerly/ladderly mentioned Balding Teacher Support Group, T.O.U.P.E.E.S. Another way to fix the situation is to keep waving, flip the position on the initiator. Keep waving and don’t stop, watch as the tables turn and now they’re the one waving awkwardly.
Back to the waiter situation, when you accidentally say “You too!” to a waiter, you could always just invite them. Who would know you replied like that on accident? Maybe you genuinely wanted them to join you. You get out of an embarrassing moment and gain a companion. In the case the meal becomes even more awkward between the two of you, you could just uninvite them, act confused as to why they’re sitting with you and eating your food, maybe even get a free meal out of it.