Part Reality, Part Wishfulness

Overall, these conversations are meant as playful ‘What ifs?’,
  • What if we had on display three lively, vital, mature, civil, and (is it okay to come right out and say it?) Greats? And if they were from different parts of society and were to talk about their lives?

  • What if these unlikely-to-eat-together personages sincerely were to position themselves and to position their dinner companions, telling and hearing stories?

  • Among their foibles and assorted tastes, what if these individuals were able to avoid high acrimony and to find commonalities and complementarities?

  • What if sometimes they sparred but came to points of contact, understanding certain of their substantive differences?

  • What if these Greats could show their friendly selves and be chums, or at least onetime chums?

Likely we won’t sustain all of these possibilities through just one meal, even one of Barb’s best. Still, the impulse is there for that camaraderie.

Our choices of guests are arbitrary. Our arbitrary.

Here -- as we hint at why each visitor is sought, how we pass the time, and some of what’s spoken about – we simply follow-up on the familiar ‘Who would you invite?’ query. We don’t know of responses that push their brushes with greatness as far as we do, and with interactions among the eminent and the folk.

Sure, Barb and I hope that our guests each party will smile and talk just with us for a portion of the evening. But if they generally ignore us hosts and strictly chat among themselves, we won’t begrudge them that. At least not much.

Behind this dinnertime blog is the governing premise that, similar to every adult who’s truly reflected on life, our invitees are fairly consistent. Over time, they may change aspects of how they express their values. Yet by and large, they usually hold basic dispositions and outlooks from situation to situation.

It is fair to say that this cobbling-together/cherry-picking takes celebrities’ remarks out of context. Because we generally affirm these “visitors,” it is not fair though to automatically assume this mosaic undercuts them. We strive to crystallize these stars accurately.

Sadly, we don’t particularly capture the spontaneous sprightliness of our cast of characters. What’s not missing, however, is: 1) recollection -- what these Greats actually have said before “our” weekend meeting; and 2) fabrication. In these imaginings, we’re getting at certan positives that move us about these people.

Reflecting their own zest and openness, members of our little social register value spirited talk and family-friendly rebuttal. To avoid boredom, interruption and hurting others, typically these guests listen, hold tempers, and reveal human decencies. Generally our breakings-of-bread tend towards sociable romps far ahead of debates, ego bursts, and displays of self-righteousness. Differences do arise, but nobody bellows or dukes it out.

In the same vein, you’re welcome to pull up the empty chair and enter into the conversation. In your comments, make allowances, though, for what our guests have been through. Sassy libel and unverified factual assertions, begone!

Barb & Rick Townsend