Our Final Thought

Photo by Hossein Soltanloo on Unsplash

When we don’t know what to say, we remain silent. We let the silence fill the conversation instead of conveying our thoughts and feelings, because it is easier than exposing all our fears. Sometimes the first words that come out of our mouth are not the words we intended. They are simply a beginning to our final thought. Those words are usually harsh because in that moment we are feeling so much emotion, that retaliation seems like our only option. I wish we could press the mute button for the other person, so we could follow our line of thinking until we have clarity on what we want to say. I know from experience that it takes some people longer to get to the actual point they wanted to make, than it does others. It is my desire that people would be able to have a conversation where the things said are able to be shared without the other person automatically going on the defense. Because the truth always takes time.

— Nicole Barden 2/27/2022