…Oh yeah, that I need to learn how to interrupt people.

Seriously, I’ve come to realize that there’s a major cultural difference in how different regions of the country view interrupting. Where I was raised, in the South and Midwest, interrupting is considered very rude; if you interrupt somebody while they’re speaking, the polite thing to do is to apologize and allow them to continue and finish their thought before you start on yours. And this is what I automatically, habitually do; if I interrupt someone while they’re speaking, I automatically stop and allow them to continue.

Here in the Northeast, on the other hand, interrupting seems to be an accepted social behavior. It took me a while of subconsciously feeling trampled-upon to realize this, I think. From what I’ve observed, especially at work, interrupting is seen as not only accepted but actually a vital part of important, creative, passionate conversation. (And also of the day-to-day workplace bitching, of course.) And I definitely want to be a part of important, creative, passionate conversation.

So I’m not quite sure how to go about this, but it seems I need to unlearn me some manners.