An exclamation point in the sky reminds me that every word I speak is magnified.
By the very virtue that you open your mouth, there is an affect upon you. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)
It’s your honesty in attitude that controls your voice box. (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)
When I’m truly honest with me and look at results and patterns that are not as much to my liking as the day above, I can find clues in words spoken without that care. And, that’s a story for another day. http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/voice-your-power
Today is the day for that other story that I digressed to several weeks back. I do so humbly as over the past week or so I’ve noticed an old habit creep back into my way of being: a sharp tongue voiced in reaction to some little event (usually one with little obvious consequence). For the most part (though not exclusively) these little explosions are not directed toward or in response to another person. No, they’re the curses (small but intense) that come out when the hose crinkles stopping the flow of water or some other minor annoyance.
They’ve been especially abundant over the past week. I dislike how I feel about me when I utter them. And, I know deep inside that my words have an impact not just on me. They contribute to the noise and chaos that is roaring in our culture, adding fuel to an already dangerous fire.
That’s not how I want to contribute to our world. And, it’s certainly not the attitude I want to carry with me in my immediate environment. I notice how one creates a path to the next and the next and beyond. I feel their impact. They drain my energy and undermine my clarity as I look beyond to the places where I want to put my energy: a project for the water and sanitation board, making the Dragonfly House ready and inviting for guests, a series of webinars to reignite my coaching, loving on Cool Hand Luke and simply enjoying each and every moment of the day.
Gregge’s words appear as I read and I’m reminded of all that I know about the power and the impact of my voice. I take a breath. Express gratitude for the awareness. And, I ask ‘now what?’ How will I use this awareness to speak easy to me, to Luke, and beyond?
Cottonwood 'snow' on Cottonwood Creek. Ah, summer in the Sangres!