Speak Less

Lately, I've had this awful post-cold cold symptom of coughing my voice to bits. This means that I really can't talk very much (and when I do, it sounds truly dreadful). Over the weekend, then, when I was meeting some new people, I found myself quite silent around them. I consciously spoke less and was less chatty than I normally would have been. And I became aware . . . that this was a good thing! I could show good will and inject a modicum of charm and humor, with only a few words over the course of several hours. It's great for humility to realize that people might not really be that keen on listening to your chatter in the first place. I might try this silence thing more often.