DID I SAY THAT?

Words are just words right?  I mean, they are letters linked together that create some sort of meaning, a definition.  You can say them like you are referring to them in third person.  A kind of scientific recitation similar to when you are telling a story that involves someone swearing and you are retelling someone else's swear word to your audience.  You remove ownership of the word or phrase, the sting away so to speak.  You are just repeating it. I wish that were case for all my "did I say thats".  Don't get me wrong, I like silence, and need huge periods of it to refresh myself.  But, I love words, phrases, and communicating - creating all those things all over again in waves.  I've said some strange things to other people at times.   Also, just some bold things I suppose.  Our pastor and wife growing up had six kids; five boys and one girl.  I had a huge crush on Judd who was four years my elder.  One night over dinner at our house, while sitting out on the enclosed porch at the "kid" table, Judd asked me where the bathroom was.  Oh I was thrilled he asked me and not my sisters.  I readily pointed him in the right direction.  Upon his return to the table, I blurted out, "Did everything come out alright?"  Laughter coursed around the table.  That's not what I had meant or thought in my head but it is what came out.  I'm sure that statement didn't help me in my crush quest of Judd.  Once at the lumberyard with my dad as a young kid I saw a very crippled man in line beside us.  In the head and out the mouth came loudly in front of the man, "What in the world is wrong with him!"  At times I have patience similar in proportion to a zebra's attempt to flee from a pursuing lion. After having endured one particular realtor's self-promotion and wasting time waxing eloquently about herself and, the inability of the office broker to gain control of the weekly business meeting, I stood up in the middle of the meeting and said, "Are we done yet!  I have contacts to make and money to be earned!"  There was a section of laughter and a few disturbed faces.  The meeting was adjourned:)  After completing a huge construction and remodelling project at church I was cornered by a woman expressing her displeasure over not being able to give her opinion on colors and so forth.  I squarely turned to her and said, "Becky, you could have given all the suggestions you wanted, but we would not have done anything with them."   Years ago I had a piano student who well, was the worst student I had ever had.  I tried all sorts of rewards, motivation techniques, but to no avail.  She was like a wet noodle with no musical ability and no desire to work at cultivating some that might lay buried under the big boulder of apathy she had.  One day she came for her lesson carrying her $12 lesson payment for that week.  With the $12 in my hand I asked that she follow me out to her parents car.  There was no greeting from me to them just this, "I know you are trying to teach your daughter the art of discipline.  I can appreciate that.  But, she has absolutely NO musical talent, drive, desire or ability to want to learn.  You are wasting my time and your money.  I suggest you take this $12 and invest it in some other activity that might better foster responsibility and discipline.  You do not need to return next week."  There was no response from them.  The girl got in the car and they drove away.  They did not return the next week:)    Once on a listing appointment as a realtor I was faced with totally unrealistic sellers who truly believed their crappy property was worth $100,000 over what statistics, condition, location and my experience knew it was worth.  Reason did not work them.  Statistics couldn't "prove" to them that their "wonderful" property wasn't worth what they thought.  I finally said, "You have an Uncle Arthur.  He's kind of quirky and strange, but you love him because he's well, your uncle.  Other people don't know Uncle Arthur or see what you see in him at all.  They will not come to see him at that price, ever.  And, I do mean ever in the never sense."  In an interview once, the man who would be my boss expressed his desire for neatness and order and asked how I felt about that.  No joke, the first thing that popped in my head flew immediately out my mouth, "Well, right now I'm fighting the urge not to scrub you down with bleach."  He hired me.   I once had a lady who volunteered her time in the church office.  She had horrible hygiene.  I mean, it was strange concoction of urine, body odor, no deodorant, not showering, not washing your clothes and well possibly not even ever buying soap.  One day I took her to lunch and sitting down wind from her I directly and lovingly said, "Mabel, I don't know if anyone has ever said this to you.  You do not smell good at all. It's overwhelming to be truthful.  I'm not sure exactly why that is but it is very offensive.  What do we need to do to correct this problem?"  I sold yes, sweepers at one point in my life.  The man who I worked under was well a bit on the thin and shaky line between crooked and honest.  He sometimes would try to get the salesperson to cover a loss when it wasn't their fault.  He tried it on me once.  I sat in his office as he tried his weaselly behavior on me.  I looked at him and said, "Ed, you are one of the most unethical people I have ever met.  How you sleep at night, read to your kids before they go to bed, drive your nice car or not fear hell on a daily basis is beyond me.  I will not pay you money I don't owe.  Fire me if you will."  He didn't.  Did I really say these things?  Is it time for silence?  Not a vow of it, but how about bedtime silence.  Don't worry, I'll start talking again come morning:)