Eye-Sock Upgrade and Good Conversation

Hello from my vacation by the sea! My long-time readers will recall the traditional vacation eye-sock, the sock thrown on the floor at the end of the day when Mr. M is done for the day, and ready to relax and watch TV or work on the computer. As I will be wanting to go to bed at this time, I will retrieve the sock from the floor and put it over my sleepy, already-in-bed eyes, to shield them from that techno-glare. This year, I planned ahead and brought a cute little pair of socks to shield my eyes. They are little froggy socks, given to me by someone I don't know in Montana. My eyes are happy to have cute little froggy socks. I can't say the same for my feet. The socks' thinness and lightness are a blessing for my eyes, but a curse for my feet. I went for a 6 mile walk this morning, and my cute little socks didn't prevent me from sustaining what may prove to be a mortal injury to my toe. As unwelcome as the pain is, though, it serves to remind me that I had a really nice walk along the coast.
A number of you may recall my writing about a great little book called The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd. Today, on a second stroll through town, I found another book by Ms. Shepherd, The Art of Civilized Conversation. This, I feel, was a great find, and I think I will be a better wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, because of it. I suspect I will even be a more interesting person to meet on a morning walk. The book also came at just the right time, for I have just recently been considering a vow of silence of sorts. I have noticed with surmounting frequency how bad I am at conversation. I believe (and have been told), I express myself best in writing. I feel more comfortable writing, and always have. However, when it comes to verbal and oral communication, I stink. I greatly benefited from The Art of the Handwritten Note, and my friends will tell you that reading that book resulted in a slew of handwritten notes from me, so I expect this book to have the same kind of influence on my communication. I am inspired by a friend from Louisiana whose sparkling wit turns our every conversation into an event. I am even more excited to go back to school, and practice having good and civilized conversations.