That Awkward Moment

That awkward moment.

When you run into someone at a “normal” place such as a grocery store, you may not be thrilled to see that person but it’s usually no big deal. Everyone needs food and it’s a “normal” occurrence to grocery shop in everyday life.

What’s not as common: Fertility struggles (or is it?!).

When you sit in a Reproductive Endocrinologist’s office and see so many people coming through the door, you wonder, “How have I not seen anyone I know? I guess Austin really is a big city.”

And, then the day comes when you run into that person in an unexpected place. My husband started talking to this guy he saw at the lab and again at our appointment later that day. He recognized that same man at an event the next day. It turns out, we know his in-laws.

What an awkward moment! And you don’t know the appropriate protocol. Do you go up to the person and act like you know them? How open are they with their fertility struggle? For some, it’s very private; for others, it’s cathartic to know they aren’t going through this alone. My husband, who doesn’t necessarily care about protocol, decided to be friendly and approached him.

The next week, we saw the wife in the waiting room and immediately started talking. She is super sweet…and, we are going to lunch in a few weeks.

For me, it’s helpful to be open about my journey in hopes of de-stigmatizing the situation. My goal and silver lining is to make someone else eliminate the lonely or “defective” feeling. And, bonus for making a new potential friend!