I have a friend at work who is warm, supportive and funny; a genuine buddy. But she kicks me. She kicks me in my leg with her foot. Better than a poke in the eye but still. The kicks are infrequent and under the oak conference room table. No one notices but me unless I say “Ow.” She doesn’t kick me at every meeting. At some meetings I will get more than one kick. I try to position my self near the end of the table because the oak table leg protects me. That doesn’t always work. Over the years I’ve worked with her (15?) I have come to know when to expect a kick. You know that moment when the needle on the your mental BS meter flings into the red zone? That moment when I have to concentrate all the muscles in my body to prevent my eyes from rolling? (It is SO unprofessional to roll my eyes at meetings - I really have to work hard to prevent that from happening). So there I am, concentrating on not rolling my eyes and trying to keep my mind open - THAT is when she will kick me in the shins. Startles me every time. This week we had a meeting together. The needle on my mental BS meter was starting to rise. Unconsciously, I moved my chair away from my friend. After the meeting she caught me in private and said, “You moved! You moved away from me right when I was going to kick you.” I didn’t even realize I did that. My muscle memory must have taken over and protected me because my mind was so busy preventing another eye roll.