After a year of isolation, there are things you start to forget. You forget how to stand in a crowded commuter train (legs apart, slight bend in the knee) or how to shimmy sheepishly past theatergoers to reach a middle seat (face away, apologize repeatedly).
And, without a constant parade of baby showers and work mixers, you forget how to talk to strangers: The witty banter, the conversational volley, the way you break the ice with “How about this rain, huh?” instead of “So, what do you consider your greatest failure in life?”
But the world is starting to open up again, and that means having to engage in that dreaded four-letter word — chat — with people you don’t know. If the idea makes you nervous, you’re not alone.