Good morning, Ed (@njed), Tessie (@tessie63), Debbie (@dbeshears1)

Most everyone here on Connect fits the definition of “birds of a feather.” So many of our posts, revealing some nuance of our “condition,” are met by the same reply: “What? Me, too!” It's been that way following my original post about “conversation fatigue.” Some are comforted by lots of conversation, others are turned off, most seem to fall somewhere in between: they like that their family and friends care enough to ask, but they don’t want medical yakkity-yak to be all that’s ever talked about. I think of it as “conversation management”: in ways that are subtle and polite, I try to manage the flow of conversation, allowing for a dollop of medical talk if it’s apparent my friend would truly like to hear from me how I’m doing, but then teasing our talk in some other direction––for both of our sakes! I’m facing a conversation management challenge this evening. My partner and I will meet the couple who are interested in renting my partner’s house. The ”he” of the couple is a high IQ, high energy, genuinely lovable guy, a college prof, but who is a long-time diabetes sufferer whose sensory nerve damage has left him with balance issues that are almost a match for my own. The conversation management challenge is he LOVES talking not only about how he’s doing with his balance but also about the latest “cures” he’s found online. On one hand, it amuses me: despite his sky-high IQ, he’s the world’s biggest sucker for snake oil. (God knows what sure-bet substance he’ll bring to me this evening, wrapped in foil!)

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful weekend!
Ray (@ray666)