Please, sir, step out of my bubble.

Personal space bubble: the region surrounding a person which they consider psychologically theirs.

Every person has their own person buffer zone. My bubble seems to be quite a bit larger than most. In fact, if it was socially acceptable, I would do my best to maintain a personal space bubble with a 6 foot diameter. Unfortunately, that is not altogether possible. Normal people average a zone of 24.5 inches on either side, 27.5 inches in front, and 15.75 inches behind them. Question: who came up with these numbers? For all intents and purposes, we will assume these are accurate figures.

Here are my suggestions on how to refrain from popping the bubbles of others. Even these situations do not make you uncomfortable, chances are they make others feel a wittle bit antsy.

1. If you find yourself in a public restroom with more than 2 stalls, please for the love of God, do not choose to utilize a stall directly beside one that is occupied when there are other stalls available. It is most unsettling to be unnecessarily close to someone when you know that you both have your pants pulled down.

2. Similarly, do not sit in a seat directly beside someone when there are several other equally-comfortable empty seats at your disposal. Examples: waiting rooms, movie theatres, Silver Dollar City trams. If your intention is to strike up a conversation with a possible new friend, this is perhaps the least effective method.

3. Office space: a) an incredibly accurate movie illustrating life within an office environment, b) the effect of an office on one's personal bubble. Intrusion of space is one thing when done by a close friend or family member, but it is a completely different situation within the confines of business walls. It is unacceptable (in most cases) to violently and dramatically push away a co-worker in the way that you may push your spouse when he/she is making you feel claustrophic. In an effort to avoid inter-office bubble popping, it may be safer to simply call or email your fellow employees with questions rather than conversing in person. Better safe than sorry.

Side note: if you find that others casually tend to take steps backwards when speaking with you, you are most likely a bubble popper. Either that, or they are practicing their moonwalk. Michael Jackson, R.I.P.

Until tomorrow.

~Heather