- when someone does the thing where they enter another space (such as a supermarket aisle) striding with total purpose, then suddenly forget what theyâre doing/looking for, and stop there looking blank for a millisecond while they reboot.Â
- when people are looking for scissors, in their home or in a store, and they make the scissors gesture with their non-dominant hand as an aid to remind them what theyâre doing.
- when automatic social interactions glitch, like when you tell a waiter that you hope he enjoys his food too, or tell the stranger on the phone that you love them.Â
- the hand gesture people make when theyâre thinking at their computer, not typing, and their elbow rests on the table, and they feel the edge of their fingernail with their thumb. This is such a lovely little gesture and to my knowledge I have never seen it in fiction. Youâd think it would come up all the time in fic.
- when youâre sharing an experience with a complete stranger (like watching a seagull throw up in public, or waiting for a late train) and you make eye contact, and some comment to each other, and then you guys are, like, ALLIES now. Like you would willingly ride to war to save them. You canât make eye contact again, but you are very aware of them.Â
- just evidence of other peopleâs rich, baffling and complex inner lives.