Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3

I'm constantly testing people. Everyday I test the people I come into contact with. Usually it's just little things like is that person going to hold open the door, call back or say thank you. It's interesting the number of people who let their little actions speak poorly on their behalf. Failing to hold open a door, return a call (something I must admit to being guilty of) or offer thanks can show a lack of consideration and good manners. For the most part it doesn't matter if someone fails a test or two, I really only start to notice if someone was to fail on a consistent basis. Everyone slips sometimes, it’s when a habit starts to form that I get concerned.

On the other hand some people pass my little test with flying colours and I don’t even realize I was testing them.

This week Mr. Conversation was tested unintentionally and it allowed me to see if last week was a fluke or what. Again I got to class early and took my normal seat and waited for him to show up. I hadn’t planned on excluding his companion but the classmates I usually sit with showed up early too and the result was that if Mr. Conversation wanted to speak with me there was only room for him and not his friend. When he got there was no hesitation, he came and sat down beside me and picked up where we'd left off last week and again we talked all through class. I can’t say what I would have thought if that hadn’t been his action but I’m pretty sure I’d have seen it as a failure on his part. It’s weird to think of everything we’ve discussed in the past two weeks and I still don’t know his name.