Talking and reading ~ the usual stuff

"Thank you for calling....Loved it"

Yesterday, I called one of my two best friends, and we talked for two hours and twenty minutes.  For part of the time we were in school together at Emory University, I lived with their family — she has a husband and four children.  After our talk, I sent her a link to something we discussed, and she emailed back:  "Thank you for calling....Loved it."

I later called my other best friend, who returned my call after lunch.  We talked a long time, too.  What?  Why can't I have two best friends?  One lives hundreds of miles east of me, and the other lives hundreds of miles west of me.  I wish we could get together and talk for hours.  Phones are the next best thing, but I can't get a hug over the phone.

Clean Speech St. Louis

I picked up a 2023 workbook for Clean Speech St. Louis (Volume 2) in the lobby recently and brought it home to read.  Crown Center for Senior Living is one of 32 participating organizations.  Last year's subject was about harmful or hurtful words said about a third party who is not present; this year's focus is on the verbal mistreatment of the person with whom you are speaking (p. 12).  The third day suggests we review what we learned last year.  They'll be happy to send a link to download the curriculum from last year, if you missed it:  <https://cleanspeech.com/stl/>.  Examples from the book:

Day 1 example

"Steve wakes up one morning to a text message from his brother, berating him for not being more helpful with their elderly parents.  In a foul mood, he complains to his wife Beth that there's no coffee creamer.  Feeling criticized, Beth is short-tempered with their teenage daughter, Sarah, who goes off to school in a huff, silent and moody in her carpool.  Over dinner that night, they sit at the table and describe their rotten day, before retreating from the tension into separate corners of the house on their devices."

Day 2 example

"Steve wakes up one morning to a text message from his brother, thanking him for being so helpful with their elderly parents.  In a cheerful mood, he compliments his wife Beth on the outfit she's wearing.  Feeling loved, Beth is more patient with their teenage daughter, Sarah, who[m] she encourages to speak more confidently with the challenging girls in her carpool.  Over dinner that night, they sit at the table and share small victories from their day, enjoying each other's company a little longer than usual."

What a difference a kind, positive word makes!  I'm sure we've all seen this in real life.

2022 = Lashon hara (Hebrew: לשון הרע) means "evil tongue" for speech about a person or persons that is negative or harmful to them, even though it is true.

2023 = Onas devarim (Hebrew: דְּבָרִים) is the prohibition against saying hurtful words to a person.

With Her in Ourland ~ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1915, utopian fiction, 123 pages

This is the third book in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's utopian trilogy which begins where Moving the Mountain and Herland left off.  Gilman masterfully compares our modern male-dominated world with an imaginary perfect society comprised of only woman. Gilman was a well known and deeply respected sociologist and this trilogy holds an important place in feminist fiction. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

A blogger had this to say about the book:  "With Her in Ourland reads less like a story and more as philosophy."  That's okay with me, since philosophy was part of my double major undergraduate degree.

In response to my St. Patrick's Day post a couple of days ago about being Irish, a friend sent me this photo.  I love it!  Hmm, I'm taller than most of my friends around here, even though I've shrunk a couple of inches in my old age.  Does does that make me less Irish?

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.