Breaking In

These lines from Alice Munro's Dear Life reminded me of a networking event I was at recently.

She watched for a conversational group that seemed to have a hole in it, where she might insert herself. She seemed to have found one when she heard the names of movies mentioned. European movies, such as were beginning to be shown in Vancouver at that time. She heard the name of one that she and Peter had gone to see. The Four Hundred Blows. “Oh, I saw that.” She said this loudly and enthusiastically, and they all looked at her and one, a spokesperson evidently, said, “Really?”

Unlike the character in this story Greta, I was not brave enough to forge ahead when I found such a "hole". Instead I tried to make eye contact with people who had not yet coalesced into a larger groups that functioned like a self-contained island. I had the distinct feeling that no one particularly loves networking or barging in where holes appear in groups. We do what we have to somewhat awkwardly and over time it becomes tolerable. Everyone has an easier time to talk to a person just next to them - one on one, not worry about being accepted by a group of strangers.