THIS IS US
Why I’m Grateful That Eavesdropping Is Back
When social distance closes, we get to remember that we’re all in this mess of life together
Among the countless reasons to get vaccinated, eavesdropping might not rank high on your list, but in my humble opinion it’s an underrated reward for safely closing the gap imposed by social distancing. During those long months of lockdown, I sorely missed the little gems like this one, which I plucked from a passing conversation during my morning beach walk the other day:
“He’s always texting on the toilet.”
“We’re back!” I feel like shouting when these tidbits float into earshot. “Fair warning, we’re listening!”
But that hardly seems necessary. Whether talking into cellphones or to live companions, most everybody who’s out and about now seems proud to broadcast their thoughts. It’s as if the long months of being cooped up — or perhaps of shouting to be heard on Zoom — have made privacy passé.
As a writer always craving new material and inspiration, I am sincerely grateful.
Little stories everywhere
On the jetty the other day, I heard an elderly man wooing an elderly woman, who might have been his wife, a neighbor, or a new friend, but in any case, he was clearly keen to impress her. As I slowed down to tag behind them, I realized I’d lucked out and was catching his story from the very beginning.
It had to do with an elephant sanctuary where a ruckus had gone up over the arrival of a new female. When she was led out of the trailer, one of the resident elephants off in the distance began to scream and stamp, out of his mind with agitation or excitement or fear. Who knew? But there was nothing ordinary or normal about this reception.
So the sanctuary kept the two elephants apart while the gamekeepers investigated their histories. Incredibly, it turned out that these two had grown up together in the bush, until they were separated 25 years ago.
Now, cautiously, the sanctuary reintroduced them, and it immediately became clear that the resident elephant’s agitation had been a cry of love.
