The Day of Silence

I have so much respect for the mute now.

I decided this morning that, under the pretense that I had lost my voice, I decided to attempt to not say a word all day. So, from six fory am to about four pm, I said four words..."Puppies," to Ms. McCurlyl, and "Put this there?" to Mrs. Barett. Both people I spoke to were in on it, of course, and my littl esocial experiment was very successful thanks to their secrecy. I originally got the idea from a guy who actually avoided verbal communication for an entire year, but derinitely couldn't do that in my line of work. Then I realized that I could observe those around me and peg their reactions to someone with a "handicap", so I decided to give it a go.

The first thing I discovered is that being made temporarily mute is very amusing and somewhat comical to both the subject and those being observed. Other people found it unique and funny, and I found it amusing.

I never realized how cool nonverbal communication is. I could mouth or mime most things and most people, and EDdi to an especially shocking extint, could understand me with very little effort. Of course I did have to write my thoughts out for some, but that's to be expected. Still, humanity is awesome for being able to communicate so well in different ways.

I also now have a much higher respect for the deaf/mute community, and a particular gratefulness for my voice, which sounded really odd when I finally spoke to Grandma and David this afternoon. It was a nifty experience, and I greatly appreciate the patience and cooperation of all those involved, rather they knew they were or not ;) Wolfie out ~W.V.~