shaped by the unspoken

"My existence has been determined by language, not only the spoken, but the unspoken.
Simon Ortiz

I've been challenged to spend more time listening and less time speaking during my summer. In preparation, I've been paying more attention to what I say, and how often I speak.

I talk a lot.
I say things that don't need to be said.
Words or thoughts that serve no purpose.
This morning, I announced "I'm hungry"

Big deal. I said "I'm hungry"
It was a big deal. It wasn't what I said...it was how quickly my thought became spoken words. Vocalizing my thoughts has become such a natural thing, I rarely consider keeping them to myself.

I'm leaving tomorrow and will be submersed in a culture that embraces silence. A people who use words purposefully and meaningfully. They aren't afraid of silence, or using few words. Hopefully I will learn from them when to speak and when to listen to the silence.

I would like to point out that this post used to be twice as long as it is now. But in an effort to speak less, I deleted a lot. I probably didn't need to point that out...I am a work in progress.

"People should think of their words like seeds. They should plant them and then let them grow in silence"