Off the top of my head

The Awkward Hello Dance

Many many years ago I was privileged enough to travel abroad. Upon my arrival a 4 day initiation workshop ensued. Shortly before I and a group nearly 50 other equally petrified young ladies were sent on our way, the head councillor at the workshop warned/tipped us about the happy awkward dance which many, if not all of us, were about to get involved in, left footed or not. She was referring here to that moment when you meet a stranger who by default of the moment or reasons of your meeting, will have a substantial impact on your life. Where you are caught between whether to hug or offer a handshake.
They say that this moment, which can last for a few seconds or what seems like eternity depending on how long it takes you to decide on what to do, could be the defining moment of whatever reason it was that required such an ‘awkward’ meet in the first place. But I digress, here’s what I really am trying to get to…

When the realisation of that moments’ inevitability began to scream at me I decided that which ever gesture I offered needed to seem to have been natural if not affected by events beyond my control. So I imagined that if at that moment I seemed to trip (in a very controlled and not so obvious way) over my feet, and if precise laws of momentum work in my favour; which ever way my body and limbs are to be projected forward, I could ‘fool’ the receiver of the gesture that follows into believing it was meant to be exactly that. And there, I will avoid The awkward hello dance.

Life sometimes throws one these awkward hello dance moments disguised in various shapes and forms. Be it meeting your significant others’ parent or greeting your boss at your first day of work or even picking up that special someone for the first date and even when you drop them off or worse still, even on that moment where you have to say goodbye to someone or something you loved – (cos even then you never quite know how to say goodbye in the most meaningful way possible) but whatever the moment, it must be handled with care and one should make it count. The similarity in all such situations is that a decision has to be taken, this is a constant that cannot be avoided.

One could choose to trip and let fate decide on which gesture your resulting movements depict, an idea which warrants some praise for originality if not creativity and skill but it could also be interpreted as a copout, indecision and not taking charge. But whatever you do, decide you must!
My point is, decisions must be taken everyday – whatever they are, whatever the occasion or ‘moment’, decisions must be made. Even if you make/announce the decision only later, it must be taken today!

Today we are all required to TAKE a decision and we are only allowed the ‘luxury’ of MAKING the decision tomorrow. That’s just how life works.

What decision did you take today?