Tuesday's Mental Musings

As smart as I have been told I am I am not good at the sly hint, snide remark or innuendo. Sarcasm and double entendre I am familir with but I prefer direct questions and comments or no questions or comments at all. You know what they say about assuming?

I know the difference between a story and gossip. I like my gossip from its original source rather than a 3rd or 4th party.  I tend to see both sides of the tale which makes my life too gray for most gossipers that see things in black and white, good or bad, right or wrong.

I am not afraid to be honest. I am not afraid to share the embarrassing story or two about my own choices or mistakes. Just ask me, but be warned you may not like what you hear.

My willingness to “speak” doesn’t mean I blab, blab, blab to anyone and everyone. Sometimes I exercise my right to remain silent. Being silent sometimes says more than talking. I am aware of the effects honesty and truth can have on others and sometimes neither party is prepared for the fallout the "truth" can cause. Caught-in-the moment -honesty aside I attempt to watch what and how I say it. Being direct and honest is all in the delivery. The truth and being direct can be painful and cause damage.

I know the truth I speak isn’t necessarily the “truth” or the whole truth; it is only my “truth”. This doesn’t make my truth less valuable. It does make the concrete “truth” more malleable and that makes it doubly important for emotion and fact to be separated when presenting those stories. It also makes it important that other direct-from-the-source stories to be heard.

Do you stop before asking a third party questions about someone who is completely accessible to you? Or do you go directly to that individual and ask your questions out of concern and curiosity?

Do you pause before making snide under handed remarks about someone that is not present or do you say them directly to that persons face? Are your remarks out of concern and curiosity or out of desire for attention and power?

Do you hesitate to make direct comments and place sincere questions for fear that the answers won’t be what you want to hear? Are you willing to hear the truth from all angles even if it means finding out that your understanding of the “truth” wasn’t fully evolved?

Do you consider the ramifications stories and heresy can have not only on the lives of those involved but your own? Do you?