Reciprocity: The Joy of Dialogue

Monologues are all very well. Done skilfully, an accomplished actor can keep his/her audience entranced for many minutes or even hours. Done badly...well.. enough said. A blog is a kind of monologue, I suppose, but open to the possibility of 'comment' or even 'chat'. At best it is a dialogue.

 

My aim, I confess, when writing my blog, is not for monologue. We all need human interaction in our lives and, whilst I get my share on a daily basis, with neighbourly chats, exchanges of merry banter over the supermarket checkout, cups of tea with family and friends and the growing number of clubs and societies with which I am affiliated, I can always use a little more sparkling repartee from the casual onlooker or blog reader.

 

Dialogue is a wonderful thing and I am always delighted when readers let me know that a) they have read my ramblings and b) even better, they have an opinion to express, a point of information to pass on or a complaint. For such things are the stuff of life to a writer - even the complaints!

 

For this reason, I would like to offer up a vote of thanks to my friend who writes: "White cherry blossom is on Murello cherry trees – we have one in the front garden which is going mad this year with blossom." Not a complaint but a point of information. So now we know! This is why the loveliest tree - the cherry - subject of my most recent blog appears decked out in white blossom in Houseman's poem, whereas my experience of cherry trees is mainly pink. Thank you, Rosemary. Maybe she will read this, maybe her interest in my blog will have waned by now. This is the precarious nature of blogging. But we have experienced dialogue, reciprocity and a mutual exchange of information and interest and I am satisfied.

 

Life, it seems to me, is at best about reciprocity. It sparks, inspires, annoys, infuriates, satisfies, delights and provokes laughter, tears and sometimes apathy. But it gets under your skin; it proves to me that I am alive - and that you are too! So keep it coming, please. I am happy to use my services (when inspiration strikes) to gladden, delight, inspire and annoy. Please feel free to do the same!