Famished Writer

"Storm Front" Nebraska by Mongo, Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain) Socially most of us know, and some obey the unwritten rules of idle conversation or chit-chat.  In conversations with casual friends and acquaintances the topics of religion and politics are considered inappropriate or elicit the response, “Dems fightin’ words”. Ok, nobody I know talks like that, but almost everybody I know talks incessantly about the weather, whether or not we care or are interested. Interpreting or lamenting about the weather has the same effect often as one who enjoys listing, describing, and generally complaining about their medical issues and ailments.  Hypochondriacs and meteorologists unite! You're both casual observers of a process beyond your comprehension.  Safe topics of discussion are life savers in uncomfortable social situations; they break the solid ice block of unstable stranger ground and build a (light-footed) communication bridge.   Observing...

Image By The Field Museum Library (Lotus flower beds  Uploaded by Elitre) [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons February sticks out like a swollen black and blue eye on the face of our numerically perfect divisible calendar of convention. It follows its own rules and agendas, and like the ‘y’, it is allowed exemptions to rules “sometimes”.  I suppose it does make sense that we throw Valentine’s Day, or the day to cherish your loved one, into this abbreviated, chilly, temperamental month.  Aside from Februarys’ brevity, icy hospitality, and requisite acknowledgement of the importance of spontaneous romance, it is an enigmatic month sometimes laden with disappointment. Yet, out of the February black and blue gloom, perhaps there are some lessons about love we can all learn. Learning from others (mistakes) is undoubtedly the most efficient and painless way to accomplish leaps and bounds in life, but what can we learn from others about love? Is not love ...