A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 26} - Five Minute Friday ~ Voice

Surprise! (Not really, eh?) Five Minute Friday, at Lisa-Jo's today!

"...here’s the skinny: every Friday for over a year hundreds of people join a kind of writing flash mob over here.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that I post here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. 

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

It started because I’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just writewithout worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes.

Your words. This shared feast.

Our most important requirement for participation: 

There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

OK, are you ready? Won’t you please give me your best five minutes on..

Voice…

“Women don't want to hear what you think. 

Women want to hear what they think -- 

in a deeper voice.”

I think it was Bill Cosby who said that.

It is kinda funny... because it is true.

But it also isn't funny at all... because it is more than kinda true...

At least it is about me, if I'm honest with me.

My mom used to accuse me of something similar. I'd tell her "something" and ask her what she thought.

And then get mad when she didn't simply condone or agree with whatever that "something" was. That really used to frustrate me. One... I didn't understand why she didn't just agree with me. Second... it made me angry when she'd tell me that I wasn't really asking for her opinion, but for her approval.

And now I find myself at times behaving similarly with my husband.

I come up with interesting and unique... wild... far-fetched... exciting... spot-on great... at least in my mind... ideas. I bring my idea up in conversation, usually with this sort of preface, "I've got this idea, and I want to know what you think." Sometimes I might ask, "I've been thinking (fill in the blank). Does that make sense?" 

Then, when he doesn't simply affirm my amazing wonderfulness by agreeing with whatever it was that just spilled out of my head via my mouth, what do I do?

I get mad.

I usually insist on repeating myself, fussing about him not ever REALLY listening to me or only hearing what he thinks he wants to hear.

That might be true... at least some of the time.

But it is also true, at least some of the time... that hearing and understanding - or even possibly receiving, agreeing with and allowing it to change my thoughts - his opinion is not at all my goal, even though I'd just told him it was. 

I simply wanted him to rubber stamp whatever it was that I had just voiced.

This "habit" of mine doesn't fit the gentle, quiet spirit described in these words...

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." I Peter 3.3-6

Entering a 31 Day Grand Prix {day 1}

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 2} - the wordless book, a flute and a song

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 3} - "Aw Dad! Stop ruining my life!"

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 4} - gentleness on deck

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 5} - Five Minute Friday ~ Welcome
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 6} - Is there time to {gently} home school and be a missionary, too? Pt 1

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 7} - Is there time to {gently} home school and be a missionary, too? Pt 2

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 8} - A photo titled Afua's Hands

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 9} - Go-getters can be gentle, too!
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 10} - Gentle Joy
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 11} - such a genteel gal... from way down South

A 31 Day GraWhnd Prix {day 12} - Five Minute Friday ~ Race

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 13} ~ On a Mission

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 14} - pictures of gentleness
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 15} - Multitude Monday ~ all Greek to me!
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 16} ~ she came from the Land Down Under
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 17} - Walk with Him Wednesday ~ How did you answer my question from last week?
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 18} ~ that fictional frontier lady who inspires me ~ 
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 19} - Five Minute Friday ~ Look 
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 20} - should not come from
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 21} ~ Why do braids, gold and fancy clothes matter?
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 22} - Multitude Monday - 1000 Gifts - Today I'm thankful for the word INSTEAD...
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 23} ~ three missionary heroes I've never met... yet!
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 24} - Walk with Him Wednesday ~ the "Czar" of our yard
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 25} ~ a gal from England