How exactly do you lend an ear to someone?

In response to last week’s question," How exactly do you lend an ear to someone?", my dad's beach buddy Bob challenged, " You just can't....It is unheard of."

My game-making friend Dov recalled this is what was "said to Squanto by William Bradford, Plymouth Mass 1620."

My birthday bud Jon thought the whole question is "an eerie thought."

My lawyer friend Mary Rich and cycling friend Ted wrote, "I think it’s something that Vincent Van Gogh didn’t quite know how to do either." To this, my woodcarving friend Doug added, "Van Gogh didn't really pay much attention to questions anyway - he was usually only half listening." And my writing and sailing friend Rich asked, "did Van Gogh had ever read Julius Caesar?"

My friend Tracey observed that her son Elliott, who will be bar mitzvahed this weekend, "does it all the time. He listens and never asks any questions. He's going to make a great therapist some day."

My sailing friend Kate responded, "I'm not sure, but it sounds a lot better than having someone chew your ear off."

My Parrothead friend Sam concluded, "Mr. Potato Head does it just right. Pop one ear out and hand it to a friend... Hmmm... that might get a little messy, but at least your buddy knows you are serious about listening!" Luckily, my linguistics friend Eileen shared the Mr. Potato Head history (see bottom of email).

Or there's the opinion of my organizational behaviorist friend Marya, who suggested, "You do it with a hug, a smile, and a kind heart (no knives ok?)."

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ”:

If you can have a cousin once removed, can it be taken back? heard at the WV Vidalia Gathering

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

Hal

From my friend Eileen: Don't you know we descended from the line of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head? The Potato Head family communicated important news and gossip to other Potato families through an complex cross-interchange of ears (in addition to other body parts). Funny enough, the ear was the one body part that their species was ashamed of. Research indicates that this may be due to their racist tendencies towards the overpopulating Corn family (get it?). When the economy tanked, everyone started stealing everyone else's Potato parts and selling them in the black market. However, they were superstitious and there was never a market for ear. Thus only "lend me your ear" survived throughout the ages because it's the only body part no one wanted to keep!