I don’t know if you noticed, but I like to talk (for what is blogging, but an electronic way to keep talking after everyone’s stopped listening?). Hubby is often telling me, “I just asked for the time, not how to build a watch.”
He also likes to point out to our poor daughter who got the talking gene, “You got it honestly, kid. You’re mom’s a talker, your Gammy’s a talker, and her Aunt Jackie will keep talking to you even after you’ve rolled up the car window and are driving away.”
I’m just glad I have a partner in crime. Even if we are constantly talking over each other.
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Let’s say one of my strong points is I know what my faults are:
– I talk way too much.
– I like talking about me.
– I have a habit of interrupting people’s stories to tell them my own similar stories.
– I think everyone wants to know what I think.
In my defense:
– I am a storyteller. It is my job. I get paid for it.
– People should quit asking me, “So how are you?” or “What have you been up to?”
– I love making people feel better about themselves, even at my own expense.
– Doesn’t everyone want to know what I think?
So, in an effort to make this world a better place this 2009, I am starting with myself and some New Year’s resolutions. Here’s what I pledge to do this day and everyday forward and hopefully well and beyond the dawn of 2010:
– Do more listening and less talking.
– Find humility. Despite what my dad keeps telling me, it’s not all about me.
– Do one thing a day that makes someone feel good about themselves (without interrupting them) or let’s them know I was thinking of them (other than myself).
– If it’s so important, write it down. Then people have a choice if they want to know what I think by choosing whether or not they want to read it.
Then there are my every day standards. No-time-like-the-present beliefs needing no New Year to initiate and leaving no regrets if it all ends tomorrow:
– Tomorrow is not promised. Count your blessings today.
– Treat every day and everyone in it as a blessing good or bad. The rough patches are what make us stronger and the sweet spots even sweeter.
– Choose to ride the roller coaster and not be a spectator of life. No matter how scared it makes you or sick to your stomach you’ll get, it’s way better than watching and wondering if you’ll like it. It also beats the monotony of standing in line waiting for life to happen, and you just might find you had fun after all.
Happy New Year and enjoy the journey.