What personal space?

[fancycwabs]

Dear Miss Manners,

I go to church this morning, arrive a little early, and sit mostly in the middle of one of the pews. There's a family of three sitting maybe ten feet away on my right, and nothing but vast empty pew for twenty feet to my left. The church begins to fill up, as much as it can fill up on a non-holiday Sunday, which is to say about 1/3 full.

An older (60s? 70s?) couple walks in and moves onto the pew where I'm sitting, and the wife moves all the way down and sits about six inches away from me. Then she half-stands, and scoots to within about three inches of me. Then she repeats the motion, and scoots to where she's actually physically touching me. With her old lady smell and everything.

Would it have been appropriate to stand up and chastise her? Move quickly away? Freak? As it was, I waited for the first opportunity to stand in the service, and took one giant step to the right--moving three feet down. When we sat down again, she scooted some more, but couldn't close the gap.

Also, the liturgist forgot the Lord's Prayer.

Yours, Fancycwabs.

Comments

[fastlearner.livejournal.com]

I think a quietly voiced "Good morning, ma'am, I hope you're well this morning? Yes? God bless you," would work just fine. If you didn't want her so close you could add, "I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little uncomfortable this morning, would you mind giving me a little extra space? Thank you so much."

I suspect it's got to be a tough life, wanting so badly to be near someone, maybe to feel a little less lonely, a little more loved.

[fancycwabs.livejournal.com]

Isn't that her husband's job? Children? Grandchildren?

Nope. Next time I'm speaking in tongues.

Is repeating "Klatuu Barada Nikto" over and over considered speaking in tongues?

[fastlearner.livejournal.com]

Not sure who's job it is there. What do the teachings of your church say?

Yours,
Debbie Downer