It’s happening. I can’t stop it. No, I have not quite perfected the skill of shutting up my thought before it gets to my mouth-but I have been working on it and I will say, I have been successful on numerous occasions. I have, at times, stopped the flow of foot into mouth.
BUT- just as the daffodils break through the cold ,hard top layer of soil “en thaw”-recent thoughts are breaking through my practiced self filters from brain to mouth. My own self entitled “en thaw”. Me thinks this might be like the compulsive dieter who avoids any and all things deemed bad in the process of dieting-but then breaks down, in a moment of weakness, and eats a whole gallon of ice cream and/or bucket of extra crispy KFC, not necessarily in that order.
I have tried to write out my strongest of opinions-to keep them private and somewhat contained. I have tried to go ’round my opinions and dilute them with practiced presentation skills; to somehow soften the blow. Then there are times I can’t hold my tongue-tinged with ego juice I am sure- and I am caught with either someone in agreement-or someone who does not know what to say in response. Not that my thoughts or opinions carry all that much weight. I mean, c’mon. Poor me. I was born with that particular gene that goes kaflooey at the worst of times. That being in direct proportion with my strongest of opinion at the exact moment of me expressing it.
I know someone who filters nothing. She rambles on in a narcissistic tinged thought process that is to be marveled..if not annoying. Her spews, after all- are simply her opinions. I find it freeing to listen to her ramble on-whether I agree with her or not. But isn’t this the rage of media pop culture now? Find someone, anyone, with a title, make it up if you have to, and get them on a panel or pay them to appear on a talk show and “give an opinion” on the current crisis, celebrity mishap, missing child, death or instant uber status. I can not hear one more word on Nadya Suleman. She is crazy. Just crazy. AND she has children. She went from crazy to pathetic and psychotic overnight and the media has been celebrating her nuttiness all along the way-if not being somewhat responsible for feeding it. If the media would go away she would too. Her children will suffer for years to come- and if you think she is crazy now, wait until she is no longer the media darling she created herself to be. Then what? Her children will suffer even more. Why not concentrate on the thousands of crazy people having children every day?- or the countless number of repeat teen pregnancies? What about those? I can not hear one more word about Caley or Casey Anthony. Clearly, that is a family that has beeb in deep, deep trouble for a long time. It is clear the skeletons tucked away in that South Florida home are having one hell of a time. The daily hanging up of their dirty laundry is nothing new. Just find her guilty and be done with it. I wonder what will happen to them all-when they too are no longer in the news? They’ll write a book. Just you wait. I am on my third day of boycotting pop media and I can already see great results. Besides there is plenty to talk about here in my own little town.
I will always voice ( impose?) my opinion on issues that matter most to me, my family or for things that benefit the greater good. I will speak loudest if I am wittness to some great unjust- or unnecessary suffering. And for those who knowingly cause aforementioned unjust or suffering? Watch out if I lose my temper-I have a hard time finding it. I think I am beginning to voice (impose?) my opinion(s) on this town and the rumors surfacing about how the Town Council must raise our taxes again- which would make it the fourth time since 2003. God forbid they let anything exciting and new happen in this town. Change? Here? Bite your tongue. No big box, no book store, no nothing of any kind. At least a good grocery store? Please, old town council members? We want more. Give our kids something to do. Then maybe you won;t have to hide the ridiculous teen drinking rate- or domestic abuse. Yes, I know. But then this would mean the tax payers would no longer be the single biggest and just about only source of a tax base.
Better watch it, we’ll all leave. Old and young. Old timers and young families. We will forsake the landscape and go somewhere else. AND then what of your stone walls and vacant buildings? But I have already been warned-better watch my opinion, they will say. Hold your tongue missy, when it comes to this town. Watch what you say, your daughter will suffer. And that is enough. Enough for even me to forfeit the foot for this tongue.