To speak or not to speak.

Incoming Tide.

I have lived many years now coping with the difficulty of speaking but rejoice that still, I can. I might see a friend go past on the other side of the street and be unable to attract their attention and for them, that might just be a blessing. I rejoice that all those years after I was told I would not speak I can still, often with difficulty, communicate. I am sure there are times when friends would love to say, "for goodness sake shut up." 

it is a wonderful thing being able to communicate with words and it is only when there is a danger of losing it that we can appreciate what a joy it is. This past while I have become very aware that my ability to speak is becoming harder and harder and so often sounds far from the way I would wish it to sound. I would love to no longer sound angry when I am not. I would love to not be raising my voice when I do not want to.

It is indeed such a blessing to be able to speak if you can take a moment just to rejoice in that fact.

I have thought much about speaking these last few weeks and days. here are some of the things that have crossed my mind.

Talk is cheap because the supply always exceeds the demand. One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.

Being in the position more and more when in the company of being unable to make a contribution I become more alert and aware of who is, in fact, doing all the talking.

Because a woman's vocal cords are shorter than a man's she can actually speak with less effort than he can. Shorter vocal cords not only cause a woman's voice to be more highly pitched but also require less air to become agitated, making it possible for her to talk more with less energy expended. It seems that they frequently make the most of this fact.

Aesop, the ancient storyteller, told this tale and had this to say about speaking. 

Once upon a time, a donkey found a lion's skin. He tried it on, strutted around, and frightened many animals. A fox came along, and the donkey tried to scare him, also. But the fox, hearing the donkey's voice, said, "If you want to terrify me, you'll have to disguise your bray." 

It is a fact that clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will always give him/her away.

I have so often heard people say that one day they will sit down and write a book. I have in fact done just that a book of poems meditations and stories and it lies in my study not doing very much of any good to me or anybody else. But here are some interesting thoughts along those lines.

It is a fact that the average person spends one-fifth of his or her life talking? That's what the statistics say. 

If all of our words were put into print, the result would be this,  a single day's words would fill a 50-page book, while in a year's time the average person's words would fill 132 books of 200 pages each!

Among all those words there are bound to be some spoken in anger, carelessness, or haste and many that would have been better left unspoken.

Having said all I have let me stop speaking and say just a very few words more. I always was one to want the last word.

Blessed are they who have nothing to say, and who cannot be persuaded to say it.

If you do not say anything, you will not be called on to repeat it.

And the very last thought.

I have never been hurt by something I did not say.

Have a great day I will go and as the Scots say, "Haud yer weesht."