Sandy Supposes....

Talking is Good

PROMPT: Talk Tuesday! Go on now... is there something you can not talk about amongst yourselves ( or anyone else )?

         No, I cannot think of anything off-hand. Daily, I converse, natter, jibber jabber,chit chat, gab, speak, and talk with a multitude of people. Often my fellow conversationalists are technically strangers; persons I've just met. We do not necessarily introduce ourselves and exchange names. The conversation ebbs and flows, weaves and winds, around anything and everything. It may begin with a remark about the weather, or an observation about a nearby object or action. Many times, shooting the breeze makes waiting bearable; line-ups, reception rooms, movie theatres, doctors' offices, emergency wards, schoolyards, airports, subway platforms/stations.

         Yesterday, in a small hospital x-ray department, we the politely-waiting, talked about misplacing and then finding personal objects. We laughed re the absurdity of losing something as bulky as a cane, or eyeglasses not lost at all, but abandoned atop a head. We commiserated with an older woman who declared that sometimes she believed she was losing her mind, and lamented that she'd lose her head if it wasn't already attached to her neck. We sobered when she shared that the worst thing about growing old was the loss of friends.

         Today, at the laundromat, my fellow launderers and I discussed camping stories. It's the start of that season here in Canada. We're forced to bundle up at night, yet we still insist upon 'roughing' it. Wildlife encounters were mentioned. Insect-repellent options were debated; Deet, fabric softener dryer sheets, lemon, vinegar, and an intriguing new one- Vick's Vapo Rub. I'm still on the fence about that preventative. Sure, I'll be able to breathe easier and my sinuses will not clog, but my eyesight will most certainly be compromised by acrid tears, and I'll be a campfire pariah. Blackflies and mosquitos seem to love misery, so most likely I'll be more appetizing/appealing.

         My family and I talk about anything and everything, nothing is taboo or sacred. As my youngest daughter's beau has observed, there are " no boundaries". Apparently, his family is much more reserved, and they do not laugh as freely as we do when together. He rolls his eyes and shrugs, but he does listen, and he can be teased into participating. It's been just over a year, and we haven't managed to scare him off; he returns for more. Most of the time, we are anything but quiet. Many of us speak at the same time as we relate a story/anecdote; or we interrupt with additional details. My hubby refers to this as 'high definition surround sound'. I still chuckle when I recall the time a restaurant manager, a male, knocked on the ladies' room door to ask if my eldest daughter and I were 'okay'. We were a wee bit mortified; we had not realized that we could be heard, and or were loud. We were not arguing or in distress of any kind; we were simply talking and laughing. I suppose his 'concern' was meant as a polite reminder to heed our surroundings. We were oblivious. Had someone been offended or disturbed? I don't recall that our topic of conversation was controversial. Now that same daughter likes to remind me that people do not speak in the lavatories of the great city of Toronto where she currently resides. Huh....