Small Talk...

This area of the world is unusually cold.  I've heard some areas are hotter than usual, or more stormy.  We're just cooler.  Still, September and October are often very hot. There may be some interesting days ahead.  I relate it to global warming.  My older brother says it may be part of the normal world temperature shifts, that for the last several hundred years we have been in an unusual time because temperatures have been more stable than usual.  We may just be dropping into the usual chaos.

Small talk is an interesting concept.  Pick-up lines are one example, but those have limited use.  It generally deals with items of no great concern (thus small).  The topic does have to include points of interest, however.  It is often a way to pass time with friends.  Sometimes, it includes a 'hook' or an attention grabber meant to gain interest from a particular person.  It also serves to create a feeling of commonality when groups are forming.

I've never been good at small talk.  I tend to use conversation in a utilitarian way.  "Why mince words?"  Often, I tend to consider small talk a waste of time.  But still, I love language.  Lack of good small talk skills makes it difficult for me to integrate into groups when I don't already have an established relationship with a fair number of the people. 

I've learned that small talk serves a social purpose, and I accept that.  I recognize that small talk is a skill, and that it's one I lack.  If it's a skill, there must be a way to learn it. I look in awe at people who are good at it.  How do they find those words that just flow out so smoothly?