Interesting People

I generally feel prepared to deal with people, like I have a read on them. Most likely you won’t be able to catch me overly off guard, because I keep my defenses up. It’s not that I’m psychic and know what you’ll say before you do, but I’m ready for the kinds of things that you might say. I guess I just feel like I have a pretty good understanding of people and the types of interaction that I have with them.

I suppose this is how people are able to relate to each other, by having a common social connection. There are forms and habits that we share, which create our comfort zones. I don’t see this as a bad thing. As far as I can tell that’s what makes a society work.

However, I always enjoy dealing with someone who I can’t read, where I have no idea what to expect. It’s one of the things I notice first about people, particularly women. Because, well, why would you have it any other way? It’s angular, someone who approaches me in angles I’m not accustomed to.

I don’t know why I like to talk to women who keep me off kilter, but I think it has something to do with how rarely it happens to me. In fact, I do not know a single person right now who makes me feel that way. It’s most likely my own fault, because I very rarely leave my comfort zone. It’s hard to get an in with me for some reason, because I don’t really need other people in a traditional way. Or at least in the popular way.

It’s hard to explain, because being kept off guard and being uncomfortable are different things. There are plenty of people who I don’t understand and can annoy the shit out of me, but I generally have an idea what I’m dealing with. I hate awkwardness to the degree that there is probably a pill I should take. But I do crave some sort of off balance interaction that I haven’t felt for many years.

Maybe people can’t make me feel that way anymore; maybe I have enough life experience to absorb any kind of idiosyncrasy. But I don’t think so, I’ll bet I just haven’t met the right kind of person in a long time. It ain’t tragic, but it isn’t a happy thought either.