Talk Until She Insists that She Has To Go

I feel sorry for the few people that I talked with on the phone today. I am absolutely sure they wondered if I would ever stop talking. 

A friend called me - just to talk - she said. I doubt she realized I would interpret that as an invitation to talk for over an hour. I'm sure she wasn't aware of how many words I have to get out daily, and how challenging that is for a stay-at-home mom. On the days that I don't get all of my words out, my husband ends up listening to them - whether he is awake, totally distracted or peacefully sleeping. Since moving for residency, it has been difficult for me to get enough of my words out every day.

I really like to talk. 

Today, one of my little boys is fighting a cold, so I was aware this morning before her call, if not subconsciously, that the prospect of being with another adult was slim. I didn't admit to myself that I would have little opportunity to get my words out - if I didn't get them out with her, but somehow I must have sensed it. 

Finally, my friend said, "Well, I really need to go,... and pay some attention to my dog."

I got the hint. My time was up.
  

My sister just forwarded an e-mail about a lecturer from a night class at Stanford. He explained that one of the most important things a woman can do for her health is to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. "Girlfriend time helps women create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being." Apparently, according to this (possibly bogus) source, "spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. "

Wow, it just sounds too good to be true.

No wonder so many women used to live to be so old - even before all of the advances in medical technology and research. They lived with their mothers or mother-in-laws or sisters. That would be heaven for me - to live with my sisters or my mom. I could talk all day and they would never be able to escape. 

I'm sure my friend would appreciate it also, along with another friend, and my sister, who I also kept on the phone for a long time today. And I know my husband would appreciate the extra sleep without my incessant chattering in the background.