I visited my friend Sean's Facebook wall this afternoon. There was an invitation to write on the wall. I could think of nothing to say. The same thing happened when I visited Liz' Facebook.
The French have a phrase that covers moments like that in a conversation. It's "moment d'escalier" or stairway moment. It is quite common to think of what you should have said after the discussion is ended and you are on the stairs out of your friend's apartment. But it seems a little unfair that this should be an Internet phenomenon too. After all, here we have time to ponder our responses and type them into an e-mail or chat or Twitter (Tweet?)
That is all very well, but it has been several days since Sean and Liz invited me to be their friends and write on their walls. I still have not thought of anything to say. I guess I could just say 'hi' and leave it there. But that seems so jejune and a little pointless. I did, after all, request becoming their friend.
I suppose that it is a function of unfamiliarity. I see them only once or twice a year. Even then, we don't have a lot to say other than catching up with mutual friends. With Sean, we can chat about science fiction. (Photo from a con is above.) Usually with Liz, I can complement her on one achievement or another (she is active in sports and school) and just watch her interact with her friends. She is very pretty and quite vivacious. Just being around people like that makes me feel younger.
Next weekend, I am heading to St. Louis to meet the Washington University Women's Volleyball Team. Fran and I have been active with them since our daughter joined the team years ago. They are wonderful women, intelligent, interested and, of course, up to date. Just being around them makes me feel younger. I just hope that in the coming days, I'll think of something interesting to say.
No comments:
Post a Comment