This one's dedicated to Berry Girl because I know she will get a good kick out of it. I told her that in recent weeks I have been meditating on the concept of speech. How easily things roll off my tongue. I don't think I monopolize conversations, but let's just say I don't have any problem contributing (*ahem*)... generously.
After exchanging a few words back and forth on this (okay, more than a few in my case) I went off for story time with my kids. I am reading The Emerald City of Oz to my first grader. I have never read this far into the series and while I think we will stop at this 6th volume, I have to admit that I find the satire of L. Frank Baum very endearing. I will never be able to hear a pun or a philosopher without thinking of the H.M. Wogglebug T.E. (for those of you who don't know, the H.M. stands for Highly Magnified, and the T.E. for Thoroughly Educated. You get the idea...)
In today's chapter Dorothy and her cohorts find themselves in a new location. The wizard asks a boy if they are indeed in the town of the Rigmaroles. The boy's response?
"Sir," replied the boy, "if you have traveled very much you will have noticed that every town differs from every other town in one way or another and so by observing the methods of the people and the way they live as well as the style of their dwelling places it ought not to be a difficult thing to make up your mind without the trouble of asking questions whether the town bears the appearane of the one you intended to visit orwhether perhaps having taken a different road from the one you should have taken you have made an error in your way and arrived at some point where..."
"Land sakes!" cried Aunt Em, impatiently; "what is all this rigmarole about?"
"That's it!" said the Wizard laughing merrily. "It's a rigmarole because the boy is a Rigmarole and we have come to Rigmarole Town.
"He might have said 'yes' or 'no' and settled the question." observed Uncle Henry.
"Not here," said Omby Amby. "I don't believe the Rigmaroles know what 'yes' or 'no' means."
(me: "ha ha ha... LOL!" )
more;
"One of the women, who had no one else to talk to, began an address to them saying;
'It is the easiest thing in the world for a person to say 'yes' or 'no' when a question that is asked for the purpose of gaining information or satisfying the curiosity of the one who has given expression to the inquiry has attracted the attention of an individual who may be competent either from personal experience or the experience of others to answer it with more or less correctness (got that Berry Girl? the "more or less correctness" part? I think I snorted at that point) or at least an attempt to satisfy the desire for information on the part of the one who has made the inquiry by..."
"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, intterupting the speech. "I've lost all track of what you are saying."
"Don't let her begin over again, for goodness sake!" cried Aunt Em.
But the woman did not begin again. She did not even stop talking, but went right on as she had begun, the words flowing from her mouth in a stream.
"I'm quite sure that if we waited long enough and listened carefully, some of these people might be able to tell us something in time," said the Wizard.
"Well, don't let's wait," returned Dorothy.
oh mercy. I have to admit, I had a hearty, hearty laugh while reading that and the picture it paints is going to go far and long in assisting me in my quest to speak a little less and engage others a little more.
"it does not always pay to have a golden tongue, unless one has the ability to hold it."
Paul Johnson.
but I have to admit, I like this one....
"When the heart is full, the tongue will speak."
Scottish Proverb
Sigh. No excuse, but my heart is usually full to overflowing.
you can't be serious...
ho are you in trouble!
before I totally lose it
are you for real?
