How many times does the person you’re talking to look at you like you’re crazy? Ok, maybe that only happens to me, but maybe not. Sometimes you can pick up that they misconstrued what you just said, or they’ll say, “What the hell are you talking about?” But other times they won’t say a word. You might even be able to tell they are getting mad at you.
Well, that’s how I became an overexplainer. I think if I had done this during the early years of our marriage, we would have been happier. Too many times I realized my husband was ignoring me or getting mad at me for something I said. And I wouldn’t say anything, just start to fume. To his credit, it was Sven who not too long ago, responded to something I had said in a way that was just completely out in left field until I realized he heard something entirely different than what I meant. His response made me feel like a light bulb went on over my head. It was sort of like if you accent the wrong syllable, or tomato or tomahto, except changing the whole meaning. It’s hard to explain and I’m struggling with it, but anyway, I tend now to overexplain to avoid misunderstanding, not to mention hurt feelings.
Maybe that’s what our country needs now. A little overexplaining can go a long way to clear up misunderstandings.
Have a great day, and by that I mean, “have a great day.”
Musings over 50 