“There are some folks who think before they speak,” I like to tell people when I’m introducing myself. “And I’m not one of them. If you ask me a question, you’re going to hear me think through the answer. Then you can ask me again and I’ll give you the short version.”
There’s “speaking” and there’s “speaking”.
Many times we fill our day with talking that is – at it’s BEST – trivial, inconsequential, un-necessary, unhelpful. At it’s worst it’s hurtful, untrue, or unkind. Speech that seeks to elevate us by pushing others down.
I’m the last person to lecture anyone on guarding their speech; on learning to sit in silence; on resisting the urge to say every damn thing that crosses one’s mind.
But I’m the first person who should be lecturing myself on it. So here we are.