Top 10 Struggles of Being A Talkative Person
Really, Random Bar Guy? Attention ladies! I have some life advice to bestow on you. A random man was kind enough to inform my friend and me that we were "trying to hard" while out last night. He didn't like my makeup or her nose ring. We had been talking for 30 seconds, which I think qualified him to share his opinion on our physical appearance. I thanked him for his insights and promised to change my ways. I, and all women, should do whatever we can to be as attractive to random men as possible. Clearly I put on my makeup to please this man. Not as a form of self expression. I don't know what I would do without men like this telling me how to look or act. I'm amazed I am able to get dressed in the morning or find my way to work. So remember ladies, smile more, don't wear too much makeup, and always ask yourself "Am I trying too hard?" Busy Bus I know ease dropping is rude, but sometimes I can’t help myself. If you open your ears and close your mouth (that last part is hard for me) you will be amazed what you hear. I ride the RU bus every day to work. It is easy to zone out and get lost in your Facebook feed during the commute. But today I overheard a boy talking on the phone about how inconsistent the RU is. This sentence peeked my interest because I have always found the bus to be very reliable. “Sometimes when I take the bus it stops where I need it to, but other times it drives right past my stop. It’s so weird, Mom. Why do the drivers do that?” At this point, I turned my head all the way around to openly stare at the kid. My mouth is wide open and I don’t know what to say – that’s a first for me. But I couldn’t help but interject. “Uhm… excuse me. I couldn’t help but over hear your conversation. You know you have to pull these yellow handles to get the bus to stop right? Otherwise they will drive past your stop.” The boy’s face flushed red as he thanked me as I pulled the yellow handle to get off the bus. This kid made my day and I made his commute a lot easier. It was a win win. My Top 5 Pet Peeves When Talking To A Guy At A Bar
Compliment Turrets The world we be a much better place if we said the nice things we were thinking. Every time I like someone’s outfit or haircut, I just tell them. The looks of joy on their face makes my day and I hope my compliment makes theirs. My friends tease me and say I have compliment turrets. But I think more people should join in. Yesterday, I was in the grocery store deciding what kind of cereal to buy when I heard a squeaky voice behind me say, “Your jacket has flowers on it. I like flowers.” I turned around to see a little girl with a kitten sweater looking up at me with a big smile. “Thank you,” I said. “Your shirt has a kitten on it. I like kittens. You look very pretty in it.” Her face lit up and we had a lively conversation about our favorite kittens and flowers. We should all try to hold onto this kind of unfiltered kindness. We tend to lose it as we get older. Grocery Store Girl Code As I stood in a busy in a busy self checkout line at Harris Teeter, I heard a teenage girl talking to her older sister. “I love him, Sarah. But he gets mad if I don’t text him I love him every day or if I just take too long to respond to his texts. He says if I loved him, I’d reply quicker. But sometimes I am busy at practice or just don’t have my phone on me. I guess I need to work on that” I turned around and told the girl that she didn’t need to do a thing. “Emotional blackmail isn’t love. And it’s better to be single then with someone who tries to control you like that. Go to soccer practice, hangout with friends and focus on what you want. He isn’t worth your time or energy if he makes you feel bad when you’ve done nothing wrong.” Her older sister just smiled, pointed to me and said “What she said.” Chatty Characters Who I Feel a Spiritual Connection To
Tar Heel In Training I think we have a moral obligation to teach children the difference between right vs wrong, good vs evil, and UNC vs Duke. That’s why I sat my nephew down and taught him that UNC is the school of National Champions and if he works hard enough he can go there one day. We talked about the GOAT Michael Jordan while we watched Space Jam – the GOAT of movies. Then we talked about the Darth Vader of basketball – Grayson Allen. When he’s a little older I will teach him to say “GO TO HELL DUKE.” Thoughts I have Had While Engaging Strangers In Conversation
Law & Order: PR Unit Before I majored in public relations, I wanted to be a lawyer. It just seemed like a natural fit. I grew up in a family where debating and challenging each other’s opinions was considered casual conversation. We weren’t raising our voice. We were just speaking with passion. With a father and a brother who are both attorneys, I just assumed the law was in my blood. But when I got to college I fell in love with PR for the same reasons I fell in love with the law: at the heart of each profession is the desire to serve the public. Yes, you have a client you have to help, but you cannot do so at the detriment of the public. It is unfortunate that both professions seem to have negative connotations though. I’ve heard every lawyer joke in the book. And I try not to roll my eyes every time I tell someone my major and they say “Oh so you help CEO’s get out of trouble, right?” There is this perception of public relations professionals as spin jockeys who lie to the public for the sake of their client’s bottom line. I disagree. Yes there are bad public relations professionals, just like there are bad lawyers. But it’s important not to associate everyone in these industries with the few bad apples. To me, both professions are about effectively communicating the needs or goals of your clients with your public to ensure that justice and social order continue to thrive. Let's Talk About the F-Word For some people, feminism is a four-letter word. It conjures up images of man-hating women, bra-burning and unshaven armpits. So clearly I had my work cut out for me every time I told someone I was a proud feminist. But each person’s perspective and critique of my definition of what it meant to be a feminist forced me to study the topic more and practice talking about it. People aren’t shy about sharing their opinions on the word. I was ridiculed for wearing makeup, because apparently feminists aren’t allowed to be feminine. I was accused of judging stay at home mothers, even though I was raised by one. I have been mansplained and called a femi-Nazi, even when I was trying to have a calm, civil discussion. I was verbally attacked, poked, antagonized and prodded every time I brought the topic up in conversation. In the end I emerged a more confident and articulate feminist who was ready to stand her ground. So last week when I heard a stranger at a party say she wasn’t a feminist because she “liked wearing dresses and heels,” I was more than ready to drop my meticulously constructed knowledge bomb on her. My speech began like so: “Excuse me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but feminism has nothing to do with whether you choose to adhere to arbitrary gender roles. Yes, it is important to recognize that women and young girls are conditioned to follow these roles. We are told from a young age how to look, dress, act and speak. Traditionally, this conditioning has put women in a more submissive role to men and limits their options. I believe that women should be more aware of this fact. But feminism is beautiful because it is all about the freedom of women to make their own choices without the fear of judgment. My love of makeup and dresses does not make me less of a feminist. Just like my desire to work as a respected equal among men does not make me any less of a women.” (Deep breath, brave the pause…) “If you believe that men and women should be treated equally, you are a feminist. If you believe that women have the right to work full time or be stay at home mothers, you are a feminist. If you believe women should have the same opportunities as men and the power to make their own choices, you are a feminist. Feminism is not a dirty word. It is an empowering one. It means that regardless of your gender you should have autonomy over your life and the opportunities to fulfill your dreams. So my question is, why aren’t you a feminist?” I stood there, verbally exhausted, as I braced myself for her retort. But to my surprise and delight she simply said, “Wow, I never knew what feminism meant until right now.” This led to a longer discussion about the history of women’s rights and activism. I got to gush over feminist activists, like Gloria Steinem and I recommended books and resources for her to get even more informed. I haven’t changed the world’s opinion on what the word feminism means. But I was able to witness someone else better understand the word. I want to live in a world where everyone is proud to identify as a feminist. And maybe I can make that happen – one conversation at a time. Waiting and Communicating I think there should be a federal law that makes everyone in America wait tables for at least two weeks, during the course of their lifetime. It will teach you important life skills. Like the ability to hold your pee for six hours. Or how to keep your cool when trying to take 20 peoples orders and they won’ stop playing musical chairs. Now I understand if you’re hesitant to list theses talents under the “special skills” section of your resume. If I had to say the number one thing waiting tables has taught me, it is the ability to effectively communicate with others. More importantly, it has taught me how to read a situation and figure out the best communication method. Working in the service industry, I meet new people every day. Some of them I like, some of them I don’t totally understand, and some of them just I plane want to pay their bill and go. But my job puts me in the unique situation of being forced to interact with people from all walks of life. No two customers are alike and it would be silly for me to talk to them as such when I work. During my last shift I waited on a business man who wanted to tell me the importance of buying stocks and building my credit. I then engaged in a lively debate about this week’s episode of The Bachelor with my other table of young women. I had to seamlessly shift tone, demeanor and topic of conversation from one table to the next. The ability to effectively communicate with others is an invaluable skill that is a necessity at most jobs. I firmly believe that the ability to make others feel heard while speaking is the key to clear communication. Waiting tables has taught me how to talk to people in an engaging way at the drop of a hat. Hopefully, I’ll be able to talk myself into a full time job after graduation. I'm Gabby: The Noun and the Adjective When my parents decided to name me Gabby, it was more of a premonition than a name. I don’t hide the fact that I am a bit of a talker. I am not a wallflower nor do I wish to be. I have a chatty charm, a mouthy mind, a loquacious loudness and a gabby soul. You don't really have to ask me my thoughts about a subject. If we are in a room together for more than five minutes I am going to tell you. I talk a mile a minute, so conversations are my cardio. I get a runners high from meeting new people who challenge my opinions and force me to look at the world from new perspectives. With that in mind, I have challenged myself to a social experiment of sorts. I will strike up a conversation with a total stranger at least once a week and just see what happens. Hopefully I'll make a new friend. I'll probably freak some people out. Or maybe I'll land a hot date... yeah, I don't think that will happen either. But with graduation looming, hopefully these interactions will distract me from my existential crisis and allow me to understand myself and others even better. At the very least I'm hoping for some good stories.
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