I respect teachers

Today was the day.

Today was the day that I could no longer take the increasingly pungent cologne donned by our here today/gone tomorrow office mate.

(It makes me absolutely nauseous.)

My parents are teachers. They have always talked about those awkward situations in which they are given the task of telling a student their scent is disrupting class. Whether it’s too much cologne, not enough time spent bathing or too little deodorant, they still have to break the news.

I’ve never had so much respect for what they do.

For those of you that know me, you know that I often have a difficult time confronting people. This was no exception.

I kept telling myself to be firm, yet pleasant. Not to attack but to maintain my ground.

The outcome? Well, I’m pretty sure I really offended him. And, instead of addressing the fact that he seems to bath in cologne, he instead rationalized that he would stop wearing that particular cologne while at the office (woohoo!) and instead wear (i.e. immerse himself in) a variety of different colognes from now on (crap).

I’m thinking that he didn’t really get the idea.

For all those out there who work in a confined space or know someone working in a confined space, please. Spread the word. Just because you appreciate a certain smell doesn’t mean your co-workers do.

Be courteous. Be aware.

Confrontations regarding stankiness suck.