On keeping my big mouth shut.

It was a relatively quiet Christmas for me. Because I kept my big mouth shut more than usual. And just listened to the phonetic sounds and rhythms of speech. I am in Italy and I have yet to master the language. So I don’t understand everything being said. But still, it’s possible to catch the topic of conversation. So many clues. By terms similar to English. And hand gestures. That gives me opportunity to poke in my nose, if not my mouth. I ask for a translation or the gist of what’s being discussed. And then I add my two euros worth. Of course, if the conversation was totally in English, I’d be unrestrained. I’d butt in and be my usual opinionated self. –Jim Broede