Lewis Ford requested a recall on my mom’s vehicle, and she wanted me to drive there to get it taken care of. A recall is when a car manufacturer requests a car owner to bring their car to a dealership for repairs when a safety concern is identified. The repair is free and the only cost is time, which is what my mom didn’t have. So, she asked me to go in her stead.
The car salesman I met was nice and immediately took care of the recall when I arrived. After receiving confirmation, I gave him the keys and he drove the vehicle inside to begin the repairs. In the meantime, he guided me to a nice, clean waiting room that could’ve easily been mistaken for an airport lounge— it had free coffee, smoothies, couches, tv’s, and reliable wifi.
While on my laptop, the salesman asked for a phone number to finish filling out the form. I thought about it for five seconds, wondering if I should give him my number or my mom’s. For some reason, he nervously said that I didn’t need to give him a phone number. But I said that it’s okay and gave him my mom’s number anyways. After he left, I wondered why he interrupted himself as I was thinking. Did the silence make him nervous? Did he assume that I didn’t want to hand out my number?
Five seconds of silence is enough to make someone uncomfortable. For some, it can be longer. For most, it’s shorter. What’s clear is that silence is unbearable for us, more so when we’re with people.
But what if we learned to be comfortable with silence?
Here’s my inspiration for the day.