If I could be a cartoon character, I would have to choose Speedy Gonzales.
Why? Not because I have mouse ears and whiskers. Which I don’t, by the way. It’s because I am always in a hurry. Needless to say, that has caused me a few problems.
One such problem is my handwriting. Ironically, I’m a writer who has horrible handwriting. I am so thankful for the modern convenience of computers. Unfortunately for me (and my teachers) we didn’t have one when I was in high school.
I don’t know how many times my teachers handed me back my written assignments and said: “When I can read it, I will grade it.” Honestly, I can’t blame them for not being able to read my writing. There have been times I couldn’t read it myself.
Like most writers, I like to keep a notebook handy to quickly jot down an idea or work on an article. Then I get back home to my computer and look over my notes. Goodness gracious. Sometimes it feels as if I am looking at some kind of hieroglyphics and there’s no translation available.
My talking isn’t much better. In fact, I think it may be worse in that it has caused me a lot more frustration. For those of you who like science fiction, I would compare my rate of talking to warp speed. By the way, that is supposed to be the same as or faster than the speed of light.
Seriously, the way the words sound in my head do not always sound the same way when they come out of my mouth. I often run them together or get them out of order. Then I have to stop, apologize and restate my sentence.
At other times, I say the sentence correctly, but I mess up on a word. I say it so fast that it sounds like a totally different word. Again, I have to stop, apologize and restate the word.
You would think I would get tired of that.
Then there are the times I get carried away at talking at warp speed and I say words that I had absolutely no intention of saying. I don’t even know from where they came. That is frustrating and it can also be embarrassing. I’m talking I ask God to let the floor open up and swallow me.
“The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.” Ecclesiastes 10:12 (KJV)
I have worked very hard at slowing my pace of talking. Let me tell you, it talks a lot of practice, but it’s worth it. It is so much better to be blessed with a smile after I say something than a look of confusion or even horror.