I wrote, a month or two ago, about an exercise in which one attempts to describe himself from the perspective of someone he has just met. I will do that here, basing my description on a specific person to whom I’d been introduced an hour or so before, during a social gathering. Below is how I expect that person would describe me, based on our interactions.
He is a rather short, stocky guy with an unremarkable head of hair and a well-developed double chin. He attempts to be affable, but you can tell he’s a bit uncomfortable with new people. He doesn’t have a genuine “happy to meet you” smile; it’s more of a stress smile, the sort of response you’d expect during a first meeting with a new doctor.
He’s not unfriendly, he’s just a little withdrawn, except for his strained attempt to be outgoing. I’m a little embarrassed for his efforts; almost anyone should be able to see through them. He’s a little like a lonely puppy, starved for attention but afraid of rejection.
It’s hard to tell, at this stage, whether he’s unusually bright or extraordinarily dull; he could be either. Or neither. I’d probably not invite him to a dinner party, expecting him to strike up conversations.
I’m not suggesting the person’s description of me is spot on, only that I think that’s the way he’d describe me shortly after the first meeting.
Thanks Lois, Pauline, Robin, and Millie! One of these days I’ll expand on why this exercise was interesting to me and why I guessed this particular guy would describe me this way.
Your writing moves me.
My first impression of you differs drastically from your perspective of what others think of you upon meeting. Perhaps one of these days I will post it to you here.
You would be high on the list of people whom I would invite to a party.
That’s pretty much how I would describe myself if I were meeting me for the first time. Although, I’m not so much like a lonely puppy looking for love, more like puppy look for a quiet place to be by myself. I don’t make many friends anymore.
I’d say that the person describing you on a first encounter like this does not have much understanding of others. And is probably focused on him or herself…
You really should put all of these in a book 🙂