Do you ever stop to listen to yourself? My wife, Lisa, and I have found ourselves laughing after hearing what we just said. For example, the other evening at supper, I asked one of our kids to please stop shoving chicken down the register, and telling them that we do not, under any circumstances, blow smoothies through the straws onto the windows. Those are just a few samples of what may be heard in our home at times.
Other times we hear ourselves saying phrases our parents and grandparents used often. Like, “Make hay while the sun shines,” or, “Don’t lollygag.” (What does this even mean?!?) Or when you lost something, and they meant to be helpful by asking, “Where did you leave it last?” The last one is comical because if you could answer that question, you wouldn’t have lost the item in the first place!
One study shows that the average woman says about 20,000 words per day while the average man says 7,000 in a day. Of course, people and situations are all different, and communication is so much more than just the words we say. But the heart of the matter is that words are powerful tools for communication, and so many of those thousands of words used each day are often said without much thought. When I think back over my days, I am often disappointed at my own lack of speaking intentionally. I hope you join me in the search for more thoughtful and deeper conversation.
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