Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Language Adventures

I go down to a local dӧner stand to get some take-out.  The cook asks me if I’d like to stay and have some chai.  I say, “Sorry...  next time... my wife and I... come… have tea with you.”  He smiles graciously and says “Okay, sounds good.”  I say goodbye and walk back home.  Then I go back over the conversation in my head and realize I actually didn’t say —“and I.”  So I basically invited him to have tea with my wife...  I laugh about it.  But I’m embarrassed just the same, and in these moments [they happen a lot :) ] a lure toward reclusiveness pulls on me.

Believe it or not, speaking with the vocabulary of a toddler takes humility.  Especially for people (like me) who take a measure of pride in communicating well and in being articulate in how I present myself.  In these moments, I’m finding I have much less humility than I imagined.  It is disheartening and sobering.  Basic language lessons have quickly become pressing spiritual lessons.  And at this point surprisingly, growth in both is now very much connected.

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