Contagious Enthusiasm

A nervous young man was about to set forth on his first date …

Fearful that he would falter in making conversation with the young lady, he sought the advice of a teacher he regarded as “all knowing.” The teacher suggested that if he couldn’t think of anything to say, he should resort to three categories, in the following order: food, family, and philosophy. The young man was not with his date very long before he became tongue-tied. Then he remembered his teacher’s counsel. “Food!” he said to himself, and asked the young lady, “How do you like your popcorn, buttered or unbuttered.” “I hate popcorn,” she replied curtly. Then the young man thought of “family,” the second category. “How’s your sister?” he inquired. “I don’t have a sister,” she answered flatly. Desperate now, the young man thought of “philosophy,” the third and last resort. “If you did have a sister,” he asked, “how do you think she’d like her popcorn?” “Take me home!” the…