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If your dinner companion has spinach in his teeth, you should probably tell him about it.

Let's be honest here, there has been a time when you've failed to tell your friend that there was a piece of spinach launched in between her two front teeth. Why is it that when someone has toilet paper stuck to the bottom of their shoe (yes, this happens, and mostly to me) it's too embarrassing to acknowledge?

Recently I've discovered that I am that friend: the one who lies to make you happy. It has something to do with my fear of making people uncomfortable, or, as I'm learning, my fear of making myself uncomfortable. This isn't always the case; if it's someone close to me I have no problem telling him he has spaghetti sauce down his chin or laundry fluff in his hair. However in the case of a casual acquaintance, I think it's just easier to avoid the situation altogether.

It's almost like when someone asks if you like their new Steve Carell-inspired hair cut — obviously you don't, but you're obligated to say yes. Oh, and you can bet that if someone makes a really awful joke that I will be the first one to laugh, even though I get more laughter out of writing political essays.

Allow me to paint you a picture: last week I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was in the line to buy tickets at the movie theatre, and I spotted my friends across the room. As I waved to get their attention, I made eye contact with a middle-aged man who was a few feet ahead of my friends. The man started eagerly waving back at me, and I had no choice but to pretend like it was him I was waving to all along. I mean, what else are you supposed to do in that situation? That same night I had to avert my eyes to avoid watching someone struggle to find their seat in a dark theatre.

I simply can't handle when other people are feeling awkward, but I can't seem to do anything to help them out. Is there some sort of support group for this?

The moral of the story is to not follow in my footprints. If you notice something about someone that could potentially embarrass them or ruin their day, kindly bring it to their attention. Now that I think of it, there seems to be toilet paper stuck to my shoe as we speak.