Have you ever found yourself blithering on at someone about an episode in your personal melodrama, or is icky personal, or isn’t yours to share? Yup. Me, too.

I think it comes from lack of practice. I don’t have the best conversational skills. I can’t blame it all on the pandemic. Isolation from the larger world is a big social deal. I write every day, but I’ve saved up a bunch of words to speak aloud.

I mean, a bunch of words. Clerk at the grocery store says ‘how’s it going?’ and I blurt out some absurd thing that’s been floating around in my head for two years. The mail carrier waves from her truck and drives off and I’m standing on the driveway with a finger in the air.

‘Hey, wait, I have something to say.’

Yeah, no I don’t. It’s just a friendly face and I haven’t seen one beyond family members in so long I want to chase the mail lady down and talk. It’s tough, I’m still masked, I use the self-check option, I order online and pick up at the store. Maybe someday I’ll be able to meet someone and, when they ask ‘how’s it going?’ I’ll say, ‘just fine, how about you?’

Until then, if I say something here that’s a bit too much, well, you understand. I still don’t get out much.

See you.