In Avoiding Small Talk
There was a period in my life when I equated small talk with tedium. I don’t think I had a problem with it prior to that or found it so distasteful that I took active measures to avoid it. The feeling stole upon me unawares. During that time, I found the pleasantries and customs of introductory and preliminary conversation at social, formal and family engagements, particularly onerous and boring. There is only so far we …