Friday, February 17, 2006

Talk, talk, talk

Last night I went out for a board meeting for the parents' association for Jessica's school (APESA). It was a great experience to get out and actually do something for a while and I actually felt like I participated.

As is so often the case in meetings I left punishing myself with the fact that I really need to learn how to listen better and stop interrupting people when they speak. I also haven't completely gotten rid of the obnoxiously American notion of "if I speak louder the other person will understand me better" or even worse "he who speaks louder is right".

I probably talked more in this one evening than I have over the entire last six months. I tried to keep drinking water in between but I forgot more often than not. I got home just before midnight with Desney a bit worried about how I was doing...

I obviously overdid the talking and paid the price. I've had many consecutive nights now without coughing fits and with Desney sleeping back in our bed. A few nights ago I had a brief fit but it only lasted about 5 minutes, it was relatively early (01:00) and I went out to the living room to cough. But last night the fits were back. I had a relatively short one (10 minutes) at about 01:00 and a longer one (about 15 minutes) at 04:00. Each time I went out to the living room to cough, blow my nose, cough, drink water, cough, dry my eyes, cough, blow my nose some more and then cough. I woke up pretty exhausted...

I have to learn to keep water right next to me and, more impotrantly, I really have to learn to weigh my words...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It was great seeing and hearing you at last night's meeting. Someone who had never heard you speak before would have said you had a mild throat cold. As we were leaving a couple of us marvelled at how you had managed to speak for so long. Believe me, we didn't mind. You haven't changed Derek, and that's great.