I’m not a very quiet person. I realize this may come as a shock to some, but I like to talk. Oh, who am I kidding? I LOVE to talk. I REALLY LOVE to talk. I can talk all day, everyday about anything, everything and nothing. I am basically a good person, but my one downfall (if I had to admit to one)… the ONE thing that has consistently gotten me into trouble is my talking. I opened my mouth in pre-school to talk about who knows what—probably Play-Doh or Barbies or Captain Kangaroo—and I haven’t closed it since.
Which is why it was not surprising when yesterday evening during dinner I got the sneeking suspicion that Lee (being as polite as one could be after a long, hard day at work) wanted me to shut the hell up. He was eating peacefully and there I was yammering on about something I’d read on Facebook, various job leads, the bank account, bridal gown shopping and a web design class I thought I should register for.
He didn’t SAY anything, mind you. But I could tell. I’d seen the body language before in my father, my mother, my sister, my co-workers, the teller at the bank, the clerk at the grocery store, the optician fitting me for new glasses and the poor, helplessly-captive phlebotomist drawing my blood at the Red Cross. Once that needle’s in… she’s committed baby! I’ve got an audience for at LEAST a pint — which CAN be awhile if you fail to squeeze the squishy ball hard enough.
I don’t know how else to describe it. But it’s something that can be read in the resigned slump of the shoulders, the “please shut up” roll of the eyes and naturally the “oh $#@! here we go again” nodding-while-avoiding-direct-eye-contact thingy. I guess it’s just something one must experience in order to recognize. But… I digress.
Anyhoo, immediately upon detection of this behavior from Lee that he did, indeed, want me to shut the hell up… I sighed a heavy sigh, pet the cat and said to Lee: “Well, I should probably just be quiet now and let you enjoy your meal.” An observation that he, of course, did NOT deny. But he DID un-slump his shoulders, make eye contact with me and smile. He finished chewing what was in his mouth, used and re-folded his napkin, then turned toward me to speak.
“I just find it interesting that you’ve been talking to me this whole time while we are eating and yet…” He paused for a drink of his Diet Dr. Pepper. “… you sat silently on the couch for over an hour when I got home this afternoon, glued to those ring catalogs that I gave you to look at.”
For a rare moment I was speechless. My gaze immediately darted from him toward the living room, landing on the carefully-stacked diamond catalogs sitting innocently on the edge of the coffee table. He had brought them home only hours earlier for me to “take my time” perusing in search of a potential wedding band and light blue sticky notes were already jutting out from the edges of several pages. I looked back at him sheepishly and silently… my face turning fifty shades of pink… my diamond lust having been found out and now grossly on display beneath the revealing yellow light of the dining room.
“I guess I know how to shut you up then.” He said, half-teasing and partially serious. Apparently… for me… silence never was golden. But it just might be diamond.
Woman In Thrisis 
Reblogged this on segunoluwatosin's Blog and commented:
It is. Not all the time you need to talk or respond to your parter. You need to listen more and talk less.
Thank you for reblogging this! I am so glad you enjoyed it enough to share it! I do hope to see you back sometime.
I can so relate to the chattiness. I really never have found that medium button but a few times, like when I am writing intently or something has really peaked my interest and demands my attention. You found your “precious” in the sparkly – love that! Happy Tuesday:)
Yes! That’s it Renee! It IS my “precious”… and I think that I shall start calling it that thanks to you! haha! Happy (almost) Thursday to you!
Glad you took that the way I intended – you get me – ha! Happy Thursday:)
What??? You are a non-stop talker??? Wherever did you get that??? I don’t have the slightest idea since your home was so QUIET with you mom telling all sorts of school stories and talking to your dad about what needed done next and about you girls, and all the advice I needed to give you on growing up, etc., Now of course this may have sprung from the desire to fill up silence because we know that slence IS awkward when there is so much to discuss, discribe, critisize, and well…you get the idea. Don’t you? I mean if you don’t I would gladly go into more detail as to how this is entirely relavant. And maybe I need to get out more since I have retired and been home for over a year to only talk to myself and the dog and your dad periodically. He has been leaving the house more. I wonder why that is. Oh well, good luck with that talking problem. God only knows where it came from.
God only knows, Mother. God only knows. 😉
Funny thing–Joe and I are just the opposite of you guys. I am particularly silent in the mornings, but if he thinks there’s the slightest chance that even one of my eyeballs is open, he waxes verbose, and not quietly so. Conversation with me is veritably impossible before 9 AM (which was even more fun in the days when I still worked dayshift and ended up opening the unit with a loud “chatty Kathy”). For some ungodly reason, both our children were awake and raring at 8 this morning (when I thought they’d be sleeping in after a late bedtime the night before). I was just not ready to pry the eyelids open yet, so I took to snoozing on the couch while they amused themselves with cars on the living room floor. Evidently Isaiah has me figured–Gabe got a little carried away with his engine noises, and Isaiah shushed him, then added in hushed tones, “Mommy’s still sleeping.” Maybe he’ll have to bring Joe up to speed…
That is TOO cute about Isaiah shushing Gabe so you could sleep! What a good boy!!
Excellent post. I am the same way. I love to talk, and I end up talking too much. But, in my own defense, I am a good listener.
Searching the diamond wedding ring catalogue has to be quite the blissful experience for a woman. Take your time. Enjoy!!
I could go on and on about . . .
. . . half an hour later . . . , and so I’ll sign off by saying, Best wishes to you and Lee.
Good for you for being a good listener, Donald! That is something I need to work on. Thanks for the well-wishes 🙂 I wish you a very happy and healthy 2013! And thank you for being such a faithful reader and commenter… also something I need to work on 😉
So funny! So diamonds are your best friend. I talk too much myself. Well some would say I do. Some who do not talk enough. It’s trued I have even spoken to trees. I spent my entire childhood too quite so dang it now I am going to pipe up! The later it is in the day the more I talk. I’m sure that often times my husband wishes that I were not home when he gets home from work.
I know what you mean! I am such a talker and I know it wears Lee out sometimes. I have to tell myself to shut up consciously or else I will keep going and going and going. 😉
Ahh Joanna, you never cease to get me laughing 😀
Aww… thanks JT! I hadn’t seen you around in awhile. But then again, I’ve been MIA for over a week now. So I understand. I hope all is going well. You sound very busy with teaching that class with your wife at church, but I’m glad you stopped by! 😀 Take care!
This reminds me of Ron White’s comedy routine where he’s talking about an ad, “Diamonds. Leave her speechless”…what they really mean is “Diamonds. That will shut her up.”
Haha! I hadn’t heard that but it is perfectly appropriate in this case! 😀