Small talk is the cartilage of a good conversation.

A healthy conversation is like a game of tennis. The game only works if you hit the ball back and forth to each other.

People have forgotten how important small talk is because of the lockdowns and physical-social-distancing over the last 2.5 years. Holiday parties, birthday gatherings, weddings, funerals and those awkward first-day-on-the-job team lunches are all part of the bonding we humans need in a community.

I hope 2023 gets us all back into the game so we can play a little word tennis.