Small Talk

Yesterday SB and I traveled to Kenosha to celebrate the one year anniversary of my friend Maureen’s marriage to the reserved Austrian, Wolfgang. They’ve made their home in Graz, Austria, and came stateside to celebrate with her family and friends.

The room was filled with strangers. The table at which we were seated was circled with the unknown. It was immediately obvious that some truth stretching was in order. I am not at a point in my life where I can easily answer the basic table talk questions. Frankly I don’t even know the answers.

Q: What do you do? / Where do you work?
A: What I said: “I’m a web designer for the University.” What I meant: “I used to have a full-time job but I stepped out. Now I’m taking a non-conventiional break and I’m not sure what I want to do next. I might do some freelancing to fill in the gap. I just don’t know.”

Q: Where in Madison do you live?
A: What I said: “We live on the near south side.” What I meant: “Currently I live on the near east side, where I’ve lived for many years. In two weeks I will move-in to SB’s place on the near south side. This may seem like a big step in our lives but frankly it is one of the simpler decisions we are facing.”

Even the closer to truth answers are still skimming the surface of the vast unknown that SB and I are grappling with. We have more solid answers to other questions, questions that will not be asked in conversations between strangers. Questions about happiness, about truthfulness, about fun. Those standard concerns of work and home will come together later.

In the coming weeks we will attend two more weddings and I will continue to refine my answers to the most basic chit-chat. And maybe, maybe, I will have more concrete answers to some of these questions.