Day 22: What do People Misunderstand About You?

I don’t hate people when I first meet them. I usually don’t have an opinion one way or another. I wait until I get to know them better, and even then, I usually don’t hate them. If I decide after some time that I don’t like someone, I typically don’t have strong enough feelings toward them in one way or another to say that I hate them. I’ve had a lot of people though say that they thought I hated them when they first met me because I didn’t talk much. I seldom make snap decisions on people at all. I’ve learned that it’s a bad idea. I’ve met plenty of people I liked from the get go and ended up thinking they were jerks later on, and I’ve met people that I never would have expected to get on with, and really liked them after some time. So if I am quiet I am usually just observing and seeing what info I draw from my observations. I also know I suck at small talk, so I don’t do it unless I absolutely have to. One thing, however, which will make me decide with lightning speed that I don’t like someone is having them say something along the lines of, “Why are you so quiet? Why do you hate us?” My reaction to that is usually something along the lines of, “Well, I didn’t, but I definitely have no interest in further conversation now.” Typically not said aloud, but thought in my head. And it colours my future interactions with that person.