We Have to Find Ways to Talk to One Another

No matter how polarized our opinions seem to be

Chemtrails in the sky. Do they mean something? Photo credit: Catherine Oceano, author

One of my neighbours likes to leave some newspapers on a table near where I live. It’s a spot where both locals and visitors to our town sit while they eat croissants and drink coffee they’ve just purchased from the bakery. Or they bring their ice cream from the candy store and eat it there while the kids look at the seagulls flitting about hoping for crumbs.

There are stools, tables and chairs and a view of the boats. It’s a popular destination. In summer it’s a full deck.

The newspapers they leave are the ones with alternative views. Not mainstream. I have a pretty good idea who leaves them there. We’ve lived in this particular place for four years; it’s an interesting community and we know quite a few of the regulars.

There are often parking lot conversations. This is where we meet up with others on our way to the laundry room or before we hop into our car. Or while on the way to the corner store where they sell everything from beans to liquor and stamps.

Some of the conversations are in the benign category. Talk of the weather and who has the fiercest dog around. That would be my Shih Tzu. Often the chats are marine-related. Most of us live on boats. We talk about the schooner that…