The List

Well Fall is here. Hear ye hear ye. Fall is hear ye. Big news. I've got nothing. Nothing new. Empty of stuff to talk about. Is that possible? Is it possible to literally run out of things to say? I think so. I think that people have a set List of "things they say". In any given conversation, people use their Lists. They listen to what is being said and consult their List with things to say that would pertain to the conversation. Some people are better at this than others. It's not often that someone says something that's not on their List.
For instance, I would never say: Okay Jim, that report is substantial and I look forward to reviewing the prospects come Monday.
That's not on my List. I just don't say those words. My List has quotes from movies, lyrics from songs and various other doo-dads and whip-whops.
So, new things can get added to the List. Sure. If you hear someone say something that you'd like to add to your List, you just add it. You remember it and you say it later. People can also steal from your List. Sometimes when people hang around one anoter a lot, their Lists become interchangeable.
The List evolves and grows into what is more commonly known as a 'vocabulary.' My vocabulary is limited and I constantly find myself wishing my List was longer. I've been told that I don't think before I speak. This makes me think that my List betrays me, and that I don't need it. But I do.
Or else I wouldn't know how to respond when Jim's report needs reviewing or the charts from Monday's meeting aren't on my desk.