Mastering The Art Of Conversation: All The Time In The World...

...is not enough sometimes to know how to answer a question, to know which thread to pick up, or which signal to read. And time goes by so fast. If I say this, what will it mean to you? Sometimes it feels like driving with the headlights out. Press the gas. Hope for an open road with no curves.

I thought of all of this while I was shooting a wedding this past weekend. And also at lunch while I sat in a restaurant, eavesdropping on the conversations around me. And on the street. And in the songs playing on my iPod.

It's a little like this, I think: part of the human problem is that we often find ourselves shouting across great distances, island to island, and so we stand on the beach and peer across the water. Is there anyone over there? Are they paying attention? Maybe the words are getting through or maybe they've been blown away out to sea by the salted wind. How can I know?

This is an important question to ask, because sometimes words are just noise, but sometimes they are much more, carrying inside the imprint of life, like little seeds tossed into the wind. Sometimes it matters a great deal to me to know whether they are getting to your shore and whether they are finding a purchase in the soil around your feet.

When it comes down to it, we've all got something to say. I know I do. And I know you do. So, under the circumstances, do you have a minute or two to spare? This might take awhile. I want to be sure to not step on these little seeds we've planted...