The Bermuda Triangle
If you ask me, there is nothing more awkward than what I like to call, “The Bermuda Triangle.” The Bermuda Triangle, by my definition, is when two individuals converse with one another, while leaving the third individual in the triangular like structure standing there lost in a dark abyss of awkwardness. You're simply third wheeling a conversation.
It usually happens in a party setting. You’re standing with one acquaintance or friend when someone you never met before swoops in and starts talking to your said acquaintance or friend. You are left to stand there observing your cuticles, vehemently aware of your hands. To make matters worse, you haven’t had a chance to make a beeline for the bar and so you’re standing there sans drink. Your hands seem to be floating at your hips, waiting for you to place them somewhere. But where? They start oscillating between the front and back of your pockets. What if you don’t have pockets, you ask? Then you better believe you’ll be using your hands to tuck back non-existent stray hairs at the back of your ears.
What I normally like to do in the Bermuda Triangle situation is take myself and my hands and walk away. I don’t wait for any lapse in the conversation I'm not even a part of; I simply just go on my merry way. What sucks most about this situation is how easily it could be avoided. I think people assume everyone knows each other and so they skip over the whole introducing thing.
We’re quick to introduce people in a work related setting, we're quick to network people looking for jobs. Why can’t we do the same at parties and weddings? Those are networking events too—social networking events. Whenever I go to parties I make sure to introduce myself, sometimes I even put out my hand like I’m at a business meeting (Because I’m weird like that). But most importantly, I make an effort to introduce other people and make sure the triangular like structure is evenly distributed. That we’re all talking to eachother, so that no one has to feel lost or awkward or out of place.