The Change of Subject

By Jim Hagarty
2016

I can’t pinpoint exact times and places or relate word-for-word conversations, but I am pretty sure the topic of discussion between four young men in their late teens during any half-hour car ride I was ever involved in was probably centered on young women, and quite possibly, the physical attributes of same, along with the extent of their potential friendliness. These were always highly intelligent discussions, I can assure you of that.

Last night, I was part of a half-hour car ride with four men who range in age from 65 to 92. We yakked up a storm like a bunch of magpies in a maple tree in spring.

Our sole subject, hotly debated: How best to remove a build up of wax from those two big ears on the sides of our heads.

I wouldn’t say any damage to friendships resulted from the lively back and forth, but if we had driven another half hour and stuck to the fundamental issue at hand, there might have been a broken heart or two when the ride ended and perhaps even men not speaking to men.

The one thing in our favour and the thing that prevented any breakdown in civility among us was the basic fact that none of us could hear what the others were saying at any given time.

All our ears were too full of wax!

Author: Jim Hagarty

I am a 72-year-old retired journalist, busy recovering from a lifelong career as an unretired journalist. This year marks a half century of my scratching out little fables about life. My interests include genealogy, humour and music. I live in a little blue shack in Canada and spend most of my time trying to stay out of trouble. I am not that good at it. I also spent years teaching journalism. Poor state of journalism today: My fault. I have a family I don't deserve, a dog that adores me, and two cars the junk yard refuses to accept. My prized possessions include my old guitar and a razor my Dad gave me when I was 14 and which I still use when I bother to shave. Oh, and my great-great-grandfather's blackthorn stick he brought from Ireland in the 1850s. I have only one opinion but it is a good one: People take too many showers.