Sarah Gibbard Cook
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Beautiful Day, Isn’t It?

9/27/2021

4 Comments

 
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Few hikers are on the Cross Plains segment of the Ice Age Trail at Hickory Hill, each a solitary walker like me. Our interactions are all the same. Without stopping, we step to our respective sides of the trail and say hello. They say, “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” or “Lovely day for a walk,” I concur, and we continue on our ways.

Years ago, in my study of Romani (Gypsy) culture of the horse-drawn-caravan era, one source said the Roma didn’t routinely comment on the weather. What’s the point? Anyone can see whether it’s sunny or raining.

So why do we mention it so regularly? To stay civil toward a neighbor or cousin whose opinions annoy us? To defer a difficult conversation? To tune out others, like Mabel’s sisters in The Pirates of Penzance, who shut their eyes and talk about the weather to allow her new romance some privacy? Although avoidance can be a motive, weather talk often expresses something more positive.

A friend used to describe “Nice day!” as meaning “I see you. Do you see me?” I’ll go one step further. It’s a celebration of what we have in common, too rare in these days of defining ourselves and others by our differences. Sure, how someone votes or worships or feels about masks is part of who they are—but so is their love of dogs or sweet corn or the rustle of autumn leaves. For those of us on the trail in this moment, what binds us is our shared delight in a lovely September day. 
4 Comments
Christine DeSmet
9/27/2021 08:00:22 am

So true. Greeting others is just human. Animals do it in other ways. It's probably hard-wired into us all to do our version of wagging our tails when we meet. And some hikers don't say anything because they've got a podcast in their ears, which I find almost sad because they're missing the sounds of nature while in a magical forest or trail.

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Sarah Cook link
9/27/2021 09:06:46 pm

Love thinking of it as wagging our tails! Yes, acknowledging each other's existence. Small but important. I have the same reaction to seeing people hiking with ear buds. Even apart from the sounds of nature, they seem to be keeping their attention somewhere else instead of staying immersed in the trail.

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Rebecca link
10/4/2021 12:19:00 pm

I don't mind small talk. Discussing the weather is a nice commonality. In Texas, small talk is an art. I miss that in Wisconsin.

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Sarah Cook link
10/5/2021 07:02:07 am

I like it too. Unlike many "deeper" conversations, it is more about commonalities than differences. In Wisconsin, besides weather it seems to be about the Packers. I don't follow sports, but when people say "Some game, wasn't it!" I may just respond "Sure was."

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    I'm a historian who writes novels and literary nonfiction. My home base is Madison, Wisconsin. 

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