I Talk to Myself, to Reflect

photo courtesy of thatsister.com

As a young girl, I did sleepovers. Some of my best memories and sadly, some of my worst, too. But we're keeping it positive today. This particular sleepover story is about the momma that always washed dishes while we played or watched TV. Normal, but she did something that made me and my friends giggle. She talked to herself. Out loud. With emotion and intonation and like she was having a real live conversation with somebody. She would tilt her head. Contort her face. And ask questions. She'd often stop and notice us laughing. She'd say, "I know yall laughing at me," and then go on about her business.
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​As a child, I had no idea what that business was, but as an adult, I do. She is one of the nicest women I know. She always treated her children and me with the utmost of kindness respect. I never saw her lash out at them and I witnessed her gently correcting and advising them and they had the kind of relationship where she allowed her children to offer advice to her and guess what, she listened to them and if it was worth adhering, she followed their exhortations. Shocking?!?! Shouldn't be. I realize now that this mama was processing her thoughts ALOUD as she washed those dishes. She was reflecting over her day, her life in such an animated way so that she didn't unload the frustrations of her life on her children when they would act, well, like children.

​There is a reason she could respond in gentleness to her children, she had learned how to respond with gentleness to her self. Yes. There was a song I use to sing as a little girl with the lyrics, "I talk to myself 'cause there is no one to talk to. People ask me why, why I do what I do." Well, I know why she did it. I learned much from her. I admire her and her children greatly. She has impacted my life in more ways than I count and I'm sure many more ways that will be revealed later to me as I employ what she unknowingly taught me to do...REFLECT.