Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Negotiating how much to say about my kids to each other is challenging.  I don't want to betray confidences or criticize.  My default position is to listen and not comment, yet I find myself explaining or defending the subject if I'm not careful.  Normal worry or noticing something seems okay to discuss.  But sometimes I know more and other times less.  What about "filling in".  Tricky territory.

I had a fun time today with my daughter, but I was more silent than usual because I didn't feel comfortable about certain subjects, either because I didn't trust myself or I didn't want to worry her.  This second guessing is a bad habit of mine.  My caretaker mode goes into hyper drive and I get delusions of power.  I think I "know" things.  Very dangerous territory for me.  I'm better off being curious about another's "take" on a situation.  Then I learn something.  But what contortions I go through at times to get to that place of being open and curious.  I often begin from old stale thoughts that are really only suppositions. 

I at least know some of my own mind patterns and try to counter them quickly.  And that is the degree of progress I've gotten to at this point.  And I ain't no spring chicken!

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