And you know the answer, but it sounds really dumb to say out loud that you can't think and speak at the same time. Scary, but I think that's the reality of it. How many times do words come out of your mouth and you see them hanging in front of you like a poisonous cloud of gas? And you know that's exactly what it is...a carcinogenic cloud that will infect the conversation and possibly kill an interaction or a relationship.
Dorothy: "How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?"
Scarecrow: "I don't know...but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"
Dorothy: "Yes, I guess you're right."
I have a classic Celtic temper. I don't enjoy the consequences of a fight, but it's just something that I'm born to do. The hard part is channeling this instinct into the most effective places. It's a great boon to be capable of becoming angry and to be able to channel that anger into action. However, balance is the key.
I had a moment this morning where I squelched my inner warrior who wanted to jump up, start shouting and be an arse. I said in my head, "Think before you speak." Of course, this resulted in no response, but far more preferable to what would have inevitably happened had my mouth opened. Now that I've had a moment to ponder the situation, my little inner analyst has proposed several pacifistic options to address the topic later.
This makes me happy. Maybe I can't do it all the time. Maybe you can't either. But when it happens, it's lovely.
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