The Lost Art of Conversation

  

The Bowling's Cabin

I learned a valuable lesson this weekend~I need to listen more, I mean REALLY listen.  Sometimes this means listening to a story more than once, maybe even 3 or 4 times.  It means having an open mind and heart.  It means learning about something I never thought I'd be interested in.  It means being humbled (and the better for it).  This weekend I had the pleasure (and honor) of visiting my great aunt Charlotte at her cabin in Lake City, Co, where she has spent her summers for close to 50 years.  This will be the second time in three months that I have seen her (we visited this summer for the first time in over 20 years).  And this time my dad came along!

My Dad and Charlotte

It was a magical visit.  I know, that sounds kind of corny, but it truly was. My aunt Charlotte (everyone else calls her Ann) was born (in the early 30's) and raised in Golden, Colorado.  She married my uncle Dewey (what a character he was~he passed away in 1997) and moved to Texas in the late 40's (maybe early 50's), and I only saw her a handful of times during my childhood.  I do however have vivid memories of those encounters.  She had a beautiful white house (I thought it was a mansion) in Texas.  She spoke with a mystical and transfixing southern drawl.  She had two boys who I admired (still do).  She was (and remains) kind and spunky.  She is a true gem!

My aunt is 83 years old so you can only imagine the stories she has to tell.  And boy, can she tell stories!  Charlotte can remember people, places, and events from 60 years ago.  She recalls these stories with vigor and enthusiasm.  She has a way of spinning a tale that sucks you right in and keeps you enthralled until the last word.  This is conversation.  No Internet. No cell phone.  No t.v.  Just good ol' fashion, sittin' around the table, story tellin'.  It was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.  So why don't I do it more?

Talking over a good meal (Dad, Mikey, Matt, Charlotte

It's because I am too busy. Really, I am.  There are lesson plans to create, kids to care for, chicken coops to build, husband to love, house to clean...the list goes on.  Forever.  And that's my point.  The list will go on FOREVER.  So why not take some time, a serious chunk of time, to get lost in conversation?  True conversation. 

Possum

This weekend I did.  I listened for hours and hours to a sweet lady talk about her life.  I listened while sitting in the living room of my aunt and uncle's Lake City cabin. I listened over breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I listened while driving around Lake San Cristobal and up to Windy Point looking for the hint of fall in the trees.  I listened over several games of Scrabble (she is one mean Scrabble player) and while taking walks with Charlotte and her beloved dog, Possum.
And it was fascinating.  I learned about my family~grandparents,  great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.  I heard stories about what it as like to grow up in Golden during the 30's (I grew up there during the 70's).  I learned about the unique history of Lake City, and how it has grown and changed over the years.  I learned that Charlotte still mourns the loss of her husband and best friend, Dewey, and that she gets lonely.  I learned how much a hand-written note or telephone call can mean to someone special.

Charlotte, sharing her favorite books with us

What a beautiful gal!

Charlotte and Matt

This weekend I learned an important lesson.  I have to find time.  Time to listen.  Time to learn.  Time to give.  Because there will come a time when Charlotte's stories come to an end.  And I will miss her.

~Cab Lover (sipping a Diet Dr. Pepper...)