Today I was presented with a situation I didn't quite know how to get out of. I was chatting with one of the clients who I get on really well with... He was sitting there waiting for his wife and we got chatting about his condition and her condition and how they met at rocky bay and have been married forever, and how their living arrangement works, and when the carers come in and stay the night and their decision about having/ not having children and blah blah blah... next thing I know he's asking me about my relationship history and as much as I wouldn't mind talking to him about it, I knew there was a line not to be crossed. I was struggling to find a middle ground between remaining professional vs. smiling and nodding and just letting him talk and give me all this advice about how "men will do anything to get in your pants". I didn't want to lie to him, but I knew it'd be wrong to get myself into a situation in which I felt compromised.
I think I did ok but I could definitely have found a way to nip it in the bud earlier. I was trying to steer the conversation towards more benign topics but I just felt so mean cutting him off because he is such a lovely guy and was just trying to impart some wisdom. In the end I just said "oh look at the time!" and that seemed to work well! I felt a bit uncomfortable because at the time I was unsure of how to react. It's not like he was having a crack (he's been married for 20 odd years and his wife was right there next to us!) - he just loves to chat and chat and chat... If it happens again with any client I'll try to change the topic immediately, or keep the conversation centred on him - not me! It was an interesting experience because I'll definitely be better prepared next time I notice the conversation heading down that road. The entire time I was thinking "this'll give me something to write on the blog tonight!"
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