My barber in St. Paul said he can tell when someone's had a bad week by how they sit in his chair, and it made me think about all the silent stories we carry into simple jobs.

He pointed out a regular last Tuesday, saying the guy's shoulders were up by his ears the whole cut, a sure sign of a rough patch, which got me wondering what tiny signs in my own daily work I'm completely missing.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oscar2mo ago

That bit about "silent stories we carry" really got me. I'm sure I give off a dozen signs without knowing it. My wife says I sigh like a busted furnace when I'm stressed, which I never even notice I'm doing. Makes you wonder what little tells we all have that just become background noise to us.

veraj532mo ago

Ask your wife to point out that sigh when it happens, @the_oscar. It helps you catch the habit before it gets worse.

logan2362mo ago

Ever ask a close friend to just point out your stress tells? It feels weird at first but you start catching yourself.