I just heard…

One of the best things about being a writer is that it fits neatly with my Nancy Drew-inspired ability to overhear other people’s conversations without trying. I appear harmless. People say things when I’m nearby. I absorb those things and file them away in the weird catchall, file cabinet of a memory that is common among writers and editors. 

Sometimes, these spoken words stick in my head and the only way to keep them from chewing holes in my brain is to share them. In chronological order, here are three recent favorites.

During my walk with Goose the rescue mutt on a sunny morning many months after Joe Biden was sworn in as president: Two older (than me!) ladies are chatting on a porch. One says, “Well, Trump needs these people. They have GOT to be on his side if he’s going to overthrow the government.” 

At a gathering in a predominantly white suburb; the conversation turns to the city of Syracuse, 25 minutes away, where I worked and drove home at all hours of the day and night for 35 years, where a couple of our children live, and where we still enjoy dinners out and an array of events: “Well, you’re not going to go to downtown Syracuse without a gun.”

In a public facility in Central New York: A helpful staff member responds to a senior citizen’s question about federal incentives for energy efficiency. The staffer advises, “Be aware that all these federal programs could be suspended if we default on the debt.” 

Patron: “Hmmph. More spending. That’s New York for you.”

Helper: “No, that’s House Republicans.”

Patron: “Hmmm…”

Here’s to being treasonous, fearful and uninformed.

Image by Freepik