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Starting With a Kind Word
I flew home from Washington just as everyone was arriving for the Inauguration. On the way to Dulles Airport, the cab driver told me that 300 private jets carrying dignitaries were about to descend. During my stay, it felt good to flex that democratic muscle of being in conversation with legislators, and I hope my voice was heard. Words can have such power. But there’ve been other times – with friends, neighbors, work mates, my mother, the person who seemed to cut me off on the freeway, when I wish I could rewind what I’ve said. At 12:01 AM, I will begin the experiment (accompanied by some of you) of not saying anything negative about anyone for a day. I’m curious as to how long it will take for me to mouth off. With you as my conscience, I’m determined to keep at it. Let me know how it’s going.
Illustration by Lisa Congdon
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FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
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8:03 AM, Eastern Standard Time: so far, so good!
Since this morning, I’ve slipped a number of times.
Good luck, Wendy! I’ve seen the comment where you said you’ve “slipped,” but don’t let it make you give up on it.
It takes guts to do something like this. I keep saying that I want to do this, but it’s not easy. I will try this eventually.
I did slip (said a negative thing about myself out loud), but I caught myself thinking something negative and managed to stop the circuit several times. A flawed success, but a success nonetheless!
I would have done just fine had my sister not called to tell me that her car had been repossessed because of circumstances created by her soon to be ex-husband.
I had to bite my tongue many times yesterday. But talking with family presents its own unique challenge.
Did OK with the out loud part. Only because I was by myself most of the day. But my internal thoughts that’s another story and I believe these are actually what counts. Managing expression and actions is essential but I continue to work with changing my critical thoughts as well. It’s not that I believe we can only have positive thoughts, or that it’s even desirable, but reflexive negative thoughts are detrimental to all.
In a fowl mood one day, I took my dog for a walk. It was a full half an hour later, just a few steps from returning home, before I realized that I’d been totally absorbed with negative inner chatter the entire time. I was so far out of the moment. And it is reflexive. And such a waste.