As an introverted, mostly shy, quiet individual who likes to just listen or blend into the room, wallflower style … I suck at small talk.

This has always been true.  Do you want to get into a deep conversation about love and the universe and humanity and God and really dive in?  I’m all yours.  I can go to the depths.  But when our conversation is primarily about the weather, I’m kinda lost.

I get stuck.

This is even more true now, when so much of my life is wrapped in and around being Kiran’s caregiver.  If you want to talk about Kiran or congenital heart defects or hospitals or accessibility issues or tube feeding or anything else about Kiran or related to my life with him, I can talk your ear off.  For hours.  Passionately.  Some of it *might* even be interesting and/or educational.

But when I am standing next to you waiting for the bell to ring to pick Kiran up from preschool, and we have already talked about today’s weather and this week’s forecast … I struggle finding another topic.  I’m awkward.  I don’t know how to do it.  I don’t *want* to do it.

Acquaintanceship is hard.  I want to skip that part and just get to the meat of a solid friendship.  But you have to wade through the small talk first, and I just have no clue how to move past it.