... I have epic conversations.

About oranges. It can happen. Just reportin' the facts.

I took a drive with my sister tonight. I was behind the wheel, which left me virtually mute-- no dry erase conversation for me. Charades was all I had for communication. Hard to do in a car. While driving.

I learned things on that drive-- and not just about how strange and difficult charades can be while buckled up. On the ride to our destination, my sister was, with fervor and feeling, conversing with me. Within moments of her cessation, she shocked me with these words: "I feel like you're ignoring me." Grant it, the laughter that followed gave me reason to believe she was joking... at least half-way joking anyway.

Joking aside, she had just spoken the words I had been meaning to avoid-- for good. I embarked on this endeavor so that others would not have say that to me. And yet there it was-- only three days into this. It drove home the point that listening is not just being quiet. Albeit a solid start, being quiet is only part of the game.

On the return trip, I (again at the wheel) noticed a quaint little business we passed. I had not noticed it before and began, with crazy charades, to question my sister about it. The place was called Orange. I started out by pretending to eat and Orange. Well, she figured out that I was eating something... but that was about as far as we got. Then she asked me to spell it with sign language. Even though we both know the alphabet, that didn't work well for us. (Personally, I thought that O-R-A-N-G-E would be enough, but you know school teachers these days... ;) ) Once we finally got the "Orange" part taken care of, I then had to spell out that there was an establishment back yonder that I was interested in learning more about. We must have found our groove, because, albeit a bit slow, she figured out that I wanted to know about "Orange." After five minutes of charades she said "Oh, I don't know anything about it." Talk about a let down.

Once we stopped laughing, in her great wisdom she said "Wow. All that for nothing. Makes you think about how frustrating it must be for those with speech/hearing impairments to get their point across and then have it be for naught." Truth. Then I got to thinking about those we encounter that may not speak English as their first language. The same thing could be true for them. They FINALLY get a point across, only to have it brushed off by someone who can't, or won't help them. It is frustrating, to say the least.

Question is, when I am on the other side (the side my sister was on) what is my reaction to the plight of person trying to make a point. Do I listen? Do I look like I'm listening but sit there thinking "just make your point already!"? Ah, do I try to finish their sentences? We all know by now how much fun I have with that!!! Do I actively listen and respond in a way that can be helpful, even if I don't know the answer? The answer may vary from time to time, and frankly I'm not sure I'm ready to admit the answer. Not just yet.

Lesson One of driving charades: Being quiet is only the beginning.
Lesson Two of driving charades: Be understanding even when you may not understand.

Oh... and notify your sister that O-R-A-N-G-E doesn't spell "sandwich." (Good on ya, for getting that "eating" part right, sis!)