Office greetings have gotten so routine, so without thought that they have no real purpose or meaning.
Two People… First Greeting of the Day: Person 1: “Good morning.” Person 2: “How’s it goin’?”
Same two people… Second Greeting of the Day: Person 1: “‘Sup?” Person 2: “Not much.”
Same two people… Third Greeting of the Day: Person 1: smile & nod Person 2: smile
And if you do this a fourth time, just tell the other guy, “If you say ‘hello’ to me one more time, I will kill you right here in the office.”
But every now and then, I experience “The Infinite Loop Greeting”. The Infinite Loop Greeting occurs when you’re passing someone in the office and one of you forget just how many greeting volleys have occured in a single exchange.
Person 1: “How’s it goin’?” Person 2: “Not, bad how ‘bout you?” Person 1: “Pretty good, and you?”
We have just entered The Infinite Loop Greeting. At this point, you are obligated in the name of human civility to cut this exchange off Band-Aid-style (fast and with real committment in order to spare further pain).
