In middle school, my English teacher mentioned Yosemite National Park for some unremembered reason. As a standard time wasting device, he proceeded to ask if anyone in the class had ever been to Yosemite. Being ignorant, I raised my hand. The teacher then attempted to connect with me through a shared experience. “Those rock climbers were really something, huh,” he asked.
Rock climbers? Let’s see, rock climbers. I remember geysers and sulfur pits. And there were boardwalks everywhere. A couple buffalo. There really weren’t any rocks to speak of. Oh crap!
“Uh huh,” I replied, hoping there would be no follow up questions. Obviously, I had been to Yellowstone and not Yosemite. A nod and a wish was easier than explaining my mistake to the whole class. I was already stupid for attracting any unnecessary attention in the first place. What was I thinking? Raising my hand. Pheh.
Luckily there was no follow up. But the teacher continued to talk about Yosemite. Would the other students call out my lie? Maybe, if I didn’t continue to act like I understood everything he was talking about.
A lifetime later, I’m much better at nodding. But it’s less out of ignorance and more out of not hearing what people say. What you’re saying is presumably unimportant, unless you’re shouting at me. Please don’t be offended by my nods of agreement. I try pretty hard to make them seem genuine.
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