Greener Pastures Magazine

Greener Pastures is a comedy and satire site run by a bunch of writers obsessed with out-writing, out-joking and out-funnying each other.

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Stop-and-Chat Survival Guide

Social interactions can strike when you least expect them!

James Klein
Greener Pastures Magazine
3 min readNov 7, 2024

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Licensed from Shutterstock Images

The world is a dangerous minefield of impromptu encounters. Be ready for unexpected human contact with the Stop-and-Chat Survival Guide, one of our series of tactical field manuals for introverts.

You could be at the gym, in a supermarket, or just walking down the street when your life is upended by a catastrophic disaster: you see someone you know.

Panic grips you as you realize you don’t have the deodorant, breath mints, or emotional temperament at that moment to deal with another human being. You freeze, unable to think of anything to say as you’re busy performing a mental check of your hygiene and appearance, your heart pounding and mind racing as you try to remember the last time you brushed your teeth.

Even worse — you’re dangerously vulnerable without the mental protection that’s required for you to socialize. There’s no time to strap on the contrived personality you use in public to disguise your authentically twitchy self. Before you’ve had time to react, your halting behavior puts your awkwardness on full display.

Our guide will teach you how to defend yourself against bumping into people, even when you’re ambushed by someone you don’t want to see under…

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Greener Pastures Magazine
Greener Pastures Magazine

Published in Greener Pastures Magazine

Greener Pastures is a comedy and satire site run by a bunch of writers obsessed with out-writing, out-joking and out-funnying each other.

James Klein
James Klein

Written by James Klein

My dog thinks I’m cool. Humor in McSweeney’s, Slackjaw, Points in Case, Greener Pastures, and others. All of it at jameskleinhumor.com.

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