Today I was walking back into my apartment building with my dog. The front desk guy who is there during the day usually greets me when I come in. Today he didn’t look up. I looked at him when I entered in case he made eye contact so I could reply back with a “hi” or a nod, but nothing. Then as I walked right by the desk I turned my head and glanced at him again and he still didn’t look up so I quickly looked away. This is what I am embarrassed about, my double look. He had 30 minutes of his shift left so maybe he was just over it and tired. I would have felt way less uncomfortable had I just not even looked at him. But like I said I always acknowledge him when I come back inside.
So what am I supposed to do next time….I am so shy and don’t want to yell hi when he’s not looking every time I come back in from walking my dog. I don’t want any more awkward encounters. I don’t want to ignore him as I walk by if he is actually looking at me because that is rude. I know I am overthinking this.
5 comments
It’s alright, sometimes people have off days
Maybe next time, just give a friendly wave or a smile if you feel comfortable.
Sometimes people are just having a bad day, or their tired. I wouldn’t take it personal but if you check in on them, they will let you know. If anything, they will feel you care.
Edit;
Removed last sentence as I noticed they already said hi. No need for further advice on it.
If you make eye contact smile, then look forward/toward the door. If not, keep going.
If he didn’t notice the double look enough to acknowledge, then he probably didn’t notice enough for you to be embarrassed. I get that feeling sometimes too, like why did I feel the need to keep checking? But it doesn’t matter. They’ve moved on, you can, too
Don’t feel embarrassed about the double look LOL You can double or triple look as much you want.
You’re overthinking it a little bit, which is just uncomfortable and awkward for you, because you seem like a very nice person.
Here’s what I would do. I would just make a rule: “Look once, smile, say hi, look away and keep going.” Do this every time without thinking. If you forget and don’t say hi, no big deal. Don’t feel bad about it.
If you ever want to be social with him, see if he sparks a conversation naturally some time. Such things just happen naturally.