OK, so I listen a lot. Yes, I can also talk a lot but there are occasions, depending on the people assembled, when getting the proverbial 'word in edgewise', just is not going to happen. I'm certain I have been guilty of that which I am about to write and so I apologize right here and now for the bad habit of 'never taking a breath' in conversation.
Some humans seem incapable of taking a breath when they talk. It makes me think they would be or would have been mighty fine musicians - either vocalists or instrumentalists - because the phrases they could have played or sung on one breath would have been incredible. I used to be frustrated by these non-breathing people. Now, I am resigned to their presence on this earth. If I know them really, really well I'll ask "Are you going to take a breath any time soon?" I do not recommend this question be asked very frequently. It does not elicit a favorable response, as a rule, but it does interrupt the person's soliloquy just long enough to get an edgewise-word interjected into the one-way conversation.
When I was teaching, students would refer to fellow student who never stopped talking as 'motor-mouths'. I never thought too much about this moniker however, upon reflection, there is kind of a funny connection.
But......being around motor-mouths does afford the opportunity to simply listen. Listening has become a favorite past-time of mine. When one is actively listening it is natural to smile, laugh, nod and otherwise indicate, through body language, that you are fully engaged in the one-way conversation. Both parties win in this situation and it is fascinating to really 'hear' what the other person is saying. Many of the topics posted in this blog come from listening to what others have to say. In fact, my next posting will revolve around a phrase I heard more than once yesterday, "If I had the time....."
Wouldn't it be the ultimate experience to be in a room full of people who all had the idea to listen instead of talk? The silence would be deafening. Those assembled might very well burst into laughter after realizing what was happening. Imagine the explosion of conversation that would ensue!
It is time for this electronic motor-mouth to stop typing.
I am taking a breath. Someone else can have a turn to speak now.
Ancora imparo
