I am tempted to call this post “The Invasion of the Conversation Snatcher.” It’s about a conversation that happened last Saturday:
A bunch of us were gathered in a friend’s kitchen making breakfast. We were catching up on each other’s lives, and my partner, Gaelyn, said, “I lost my job. Carl didn’t have enough work, and he had to let me go.”
Susan replied, “My son-in-law lost his job. He had to close his business.” She went on to talk about how the family would finally have the time to visit her, and the others asked her questions. Then the conversation veered onto another topic.
How do you think Gaelyn felt?
Ignored? Hurt? Annoyed? All of these?
When we were all eating, a friend who came late asked Gaelyn why she wasn’t at work, so her job loss came up again. This time, everyone was supportive. They wanted details: How did she find out? What were the circumstances? Was it temporary? How was she taking it? What were her prospects?
In other words, they behaved like friends. They showed their concern, their caring.
I wish they’d gotten it right the first time.
[...] Conversation Tip: What Not to Say to Someone Who Lost Their Job [...]