One of my favorite sushi places is at Whole foods on Houston and since I am such a good customer, the guys that work there recognize me and we often chat.
Last week when i went there, Jamba asked me how have I been and I pulled out my " I am sorry I cant respond, i am on a vow of silence" card and then he nod his head. When he came back to get the order he looked at me for a second and said:
-"You can't talk but.... you can hear, right?"
Today I was sitting on the entrance of a building on 2nd avenue enjoying a pale sunny spot when this woman asked me if I knew the neighborhood so I nodded my head Yes
and she asked me if I knew any other Polish markets because the one she usually goes ( she mentioned the name) was closed. I didnt expect such a difficult and elaborative question, and since I don't know any Polish markets so i nodded No. She looked at me for a few seconds and said " You cant speak english very well, can you?". Again I smiled and nodded my head No. She walked away. I wonder how did she interpret my no. Was it, "no, i dont speak english very well" or "no, i do speak english very well". How often we ask questions and don't care for the answer.
Thank you for making your blog public. I found it because I am starting a Vow of silence in 2 days and I started a Journal blog and you took the name I wanted for it. Now that I have read your notes I am considering making my blog public also. I love what you have learned so far. I haven't put a time limit on my Silence only a start. I have a 19 month old son that I have luckily taught sign language, but I wonder how long is fair to him to not hear his mothers voice. I am also concerned because I am a hairdresser 10 hours a week and I wonder how my clients will respond to my silence. I will have to ask my husband to be my secretary also and so it takes more cooperation than just mine for this to go on for a long period of time. And so it is fair to me I have only committed to one day at a time. Thank you again for the courage to let people know your inner thoughts and feelings. Your Silence is a blessing I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteDeLynn