Recently, I enjoyed attending the performance of the magnificent Island Soul Choir at the Nanaimo Port Theatre. The whole show was a treat and included performances by Treble Magic and Tai Williams.
The show was thoroughly enjoyable, and all the singers and musicians were in excellent form. It was everything I had hoped for. Except …
Sitting in front of me was a woman who was enthusiastically engaged in the show. She gyrated to the music, waved her arms around, and bopped to the rhythms like it was 1969.
That was not a problem. I had similar gyratory tendencies myself, but I was constrained by my British class-conscious upbringing which required all expressive bodily movements to be restrained in public.
No, her enthusiasm was not my concern. What bothered me was that she repeatedly flung her long hair over her shoulders. It was the theatre-restricted version of Glinda in Wicked. Hair-tossing as statement. I don’t think she even knew she was doing it. It was just a habit to toss her locks into other people’s immediate vicinity without her even thinking about it.
As I tried not to notice and tried even harder not to be bothered, I reflected on all the things that we all do in public spaces where the seating is confined such as waiting rooms and airplanes. There is an unspoken agreement that we keep our voices low, we don’t drop litter, we try to take phone calls in a semi-personal location, we have our children use their inside voices, we respect personal spaces, and we pretend we don’t actually see what everyone else is doing.
Her hair did not touch me and her hair-tossing did not impact the performances, but damn! Should I have said something? Probably. Could I have done something? Not really.
It was one of those “Just let it go” events. Repeatedly.
Snowbird of Paradise 
Distracting! I am easily distracted by other’s movements and sounds! With that repetitive motion, I would have started taking data: how often does she do it, how many times during the event, etc. Hopefully, it would help me tolerate it instead of increasing my annoyance. I have had both responses. I, too, would have opted to not say anything. But it would have impacted my enjoyment of the experience.
I relate to those unwritten rules of how to behave when sharing space with others. I realize how much I appreciate them, when someone “breaks” one of those rules.
Absolutely! It was the distraction that got me. But now you’ve tapped into my borderline OCD. In future I will definitely be taking notes! 🙂
Oh, now I’m smiling and chuckling!