Periphery People

Friends of friends of friends… they’re the people you’ve met, likely even partied with over the years and yet these are the people who are destined to stay on the periphery of your life. If you run into them at a restaurant you take the moment to say hello but there’s always a bit of a head scratch that you don’t remember their name, or they don’t remember yours. These are not the people who you can count as friends, but they also seem like something other than acquaintances.

I also have the most excellent ability to stick my foot in my mouth when meeting people – I’ve been told I’m fine “once you get to know me” but I can be a little off-putting at first. Thus making new friends can be a little challenging and all those random acquaintances often stay on the periphery. I sometimes wish that I was a little less brash around people I don’t know well, but being loud and over the top is my coping mechanism for when I’m feel uncomfortable or out of place.

Red Lobster, Saturday night: Chain seafood in downtown Toronto is apparently the place to run into peripheries. I would have never though that it could be such a happening kind of place… however there I was halfway through a create your own feast thinking that the guy across from me looked familiar. It wasn’t until he and his friends stood up to leave that I realized it was Dennis who I’ve met a few times (mostly through David) . We had a quick chat about the evening’s plans and he was off… like the office smile and nod it didn’t mean much other than an acknowledgement that we’re both alive.