Coherent

 

Been recording conversations. Why, you ask?

There are fewer gatherings for conversations and fewer people to talk with that are the same age and have similar life experiences.

Those who pass my way in life that I do have brief chats with contain fascinating subjects of ‘weather’, ‘sports’ or if some wandering hobo comes up to tell me their life story, I quickly walk away. Nothing notable enough to remember or pass on to someone else.

The porch sessions can be relaxing and reveling, but many who have participated have left this world. Unfortunately for some, embarrassing for others and probably offensive in prying into another’s thoughts or history, I like the psychology of how people, who I’ve known, have progressed through the years. Whether they remember or want to answer personal questions, time will tell?

With the time passing, it is also interesting to hear how memories have morphed into the history approved by the speaker. Comparing notes don’t always match, but each creates their own legacy.

So here is a porch full of geezer guys sitting around telling tales while drinking beer and eating cheeze comfortable in the fall warmth. Listening to a playlist that isn’t blasting as past times, swapping present thoughts and opinions without offending one another. Mostly stories of family and illnesses and purchases.

What is fun (for me) is to listen how people express themselves. Some want to talk over others, some listening quietly with brief comments to let the others know they are still participating. No one is nodding off in the middle of the day, but the conversations are not confrontational, just memories.

Like any formal dinner party or sales convention, each wants to find their spot to chime in to enhance the conversation. Some will wave their hands to emphasize the meaning while others will sit quietly seeming bored and distracted to other topics. If a point is to be made, the conversation will constantly return until the speaker has made the point. You don’t stop a song in the middle.

With the constant flood of social media versions of what people should be following and not with a good vocabulary of the King’s English, some of the comments that are made by those we should expect to be knowledgeable enough to complete sentences become baffling to follow.

With a replay of yesterday’s words is an interesting reflection of where we are now. What hair that’s left is much lighter than before days. Now and then, some of the energy is there to create interest but we all have our own tales to tell and most are not formattable to the discussion.

The reason for a gathering is to prevail accomplishments, astound options or relish in each other’s stories. Today’s congregation of ole geezers sitting on a porch drinking beer and telling lies was a pleasant reminder of why we socialize.

As age progresses (as you may remember with your parents) the content of a conversation will become clouded with confusion that is tolerated with emotional interpretations. There will be a time when speaking to relate feelings or desires will fade as will movement or the desire to wake in the morning.

I’m proud to say that most of the conversations were coherent, though maybe scattered or self-centered. Repeats of lyrics or versus that some will remember while others watch in wonder of the mystical connection a few still share.

Do we think about what we are to say when we open our mouth? Our ability to speak to one another, in whatever configuration called language, is a special feature of our species. Other species communicate but not with written words. We can inform, move and possibility persuade others through verbal writings or music or poetry.

Is there anything better than a rocking chair on the porch on a warm summer’s day with a cool drink in hand to converse with another sharing the same experience?