I was told to listen to my body when jogging. My body said, "what are you doing? Are you crazy? Sit down!" Chet Hurley
Salmonella is a bacterium that in the human bloodstream can grow into an adult salmon. Dave Barry
Low and behold there was a time when we [I really mean I] weren't so interested in appearances: that was starting March 2020 and abruptly ending in April 2022. All of those masks served more than protecting us from the virus COVID 19--- they helped those of us who are aging to look considerably younger. No wrinkles around the lips or the parenthesis around mouth knocked off about a dozen years. It was kind of flattering, if you could ignore exactly why we were wearing those masks.
I even took to wearing mascara when I ventured to the grocery store just to make myself feel as though I was up grading my appearance. Did anyone notice? of course not, I'm a woman of a certain age and the noticing stopped when I was approximately 55 years of age. The truth, that was just fine. To be semi invisible is one of my super powers. Then I open my mouth, oh-oh.
Therapy is like going to grad school and majoring in yourself. Fran Drescher
I was raised around strong, fierce, feisty women and it had quite an impact on my personality. I believed it was normal to be outspoken and responsive. Did I mentioned that I went to an all girls Catholic high school? That experience taught me to ask questions and answer questions if I knew the answers. In college I was shocked to discover that most young women would not speak up in the classes or answer questions that the professors posed. Why? These young women weren't answering for fear of upsetting the young men. Unbelievable to me. This was one of the many reasons I declared my major as Psychology.
Outspoken and responsive is one thing, if it's based in truth. However here's what has crept into our modern culture: many people have become 'verbally narcissistic'. Even if a person has an inkling that they might be in error, they'll insist even harder that they're absolutely correct. They figure it will harm their status or appearance if they admit they were wrong. Again why? For example, when I'm wrong should someone points that out [usually my husband] I will promptly admit my error. To me, that could clear up a heap of what's dividing this country. Big if, but if only people could admit they're wrong sometimes, when faced with the evidence, it would help everyone enormously. One of the strongest traits of narcissism is the inability to admit they are ever wrong. It's childish and stubborn to insist they're right all the time but they do. It's currently fashionable to have men and women spouting all kinds of wacko theories based on conspiracies and their defense is--- free speech. I was raised in Chicago we had a place for these people, it was called "Bug House Square". People talked, literally on a soapbox, and some of it was very good, like what they were concerned about in the country---worker's rights, votes for the marginalized and women's health. But also there were the really crazy ones spouting their theories based on tips from their molars, Space Lazers, the reappearance of the deceased Kennedy's etc.
A Bughouse Square Committee, headquartered at Newberry Library, has continued to organize free-speech gatherings there each July in conjunction with the library's annual book sale. from Wikipedia
