I seem to gather talkative people the way perfume draws the bee. So one day I complained to my therapist of my inability to repel them.
"I thought I had the perfect solution," I told him. "Years ago, in the bad old Sixties, my friend, Karen, had normal speech patterns until we smoked marijuana. Then, as we sprawled on her double bed, she would talk and talk and talk. Incessantly.
"Meanwhile, I'd space out, but struggle loyally to pay attention to her word stream.
"Then one day I had this dope-induced epiphany: 'Just because she talks doesn't mean I have to listen.'
"What a strategy!
"After that we spent many blissful hours, Karen talking and me frequently not listening."
My therapist chuckled and uttered a few textbook comments about smoking dope.
"I used that strategy for years," I told him, "but now it no longer works. My most recent friend is not only a motormouth but even worse, he's an ex-professor. He quizzes me on everything he says. 'You don't remember? But I told you that last Wednesday.' What am I to do?"
My therapist, as usual, had a few ideas to share. He talked—and talked and talked.
My eyes crossed, a sure sign that I had spaced out.
After a long while, he asked, "Is that helpful?"
Caught!
I curbed my reply: "Well, I'm not sure I understood it all."
"What part didn't you understand?"
Cornered, I said, "What made you think I was listening?"
Who knew that a therapist would double over laughing.
from: a JoLt of CoFFeY
An Intermittent Newsletter
by Marilyn June Coffey
"BitterSweet Rebel"
For earlier blogs, go to http://marilynjcoffey.blogspot.com/
some BitterSweet books
written by Marilyn June Coffey
MAIL-ORDER KID: An Orphan Train Rider's Story www.mail-orderkid.net
MARCELLA: A NOVEL To be reprinted Fall 2012.
GREAT PLAINS PATCHWORK: A Memoir
MARCELLA and GREAT PLAINS PATCHWORK are out of print
but can sometimes be bought from Amazon or other on-line book dealers.
A CRETAN CYCLE: Fragments unearthed from Knossos is a rare book.
To buy it, search eBay or other on-line book dealers.
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