Have you ever considered how much impact your language has on those around you?
While we were at the Woodlands Mall today, we passed a pet store. Parakeets in the window brought back a buried memory.
Birds are compact creatures , and considering all things make little mess.
They also have an advantage over cats and dogs because they talk! Really! They will repeat things they hear if they hear them often.
The last bird I had was named "Oscar.". He looked a lot like the bird in the photo.
He ruled the roost in my room during several of my teen years.
In those days the phones had long cords so they could be plugged into outlets in the hall and then the cords would allow them to go into several rooms as needed.
Phones were the communication devices of choice in those days. Teens spent hours with phones in their ears.
Oscar would perch on the cord and swing back and forth .
I did not realize how much of my conversations he was absorbing.
One day an elderly aunt came for a visit.
I thought she might enjoy meeting Oscar. I put him on my shoulder and went into the dining room to join the others who were there.
After a few minutes, Oscar flew over and landed on my aunts perfectly coiffed head.
"oh my!" she said as she knocked him off.
He landed on the table and proceeded to prance about. Then he began his bird repertoire. " hello, my name is Oscar! How are you? I am a pretty bird.". How charming!
Then out of the clear blue bird came "oh flip off! How the hell should I know ?"
As I attempted to corral the swearing foul , he announced "she is so mean! I think she hates me!". Then as I grabbed him he screeched " "oh she is home now , gotta go!"
This expletive laced tirade required a lot of explaining later! Then a few days later he made me quit the relationship.
I came home to find that the bird had carefully removed every pin and thumbtack from the bulletin board wall on one side of my room.
On the floor was a mound of notes, cards, corsages, photos and other memorabilia.
Oscar got unceremoniously loaded into his cage and into the car.
We went to the pet store a few miles from my house. I took the cage in and told the store owner that I had decided to give my bird away.
I told him what had happened to my room that day.
The store owner was amused and said he would find a home for Oscar.
I did not tell the man about the vocabulary the bird had... I honestly had not remembered that aspect of the situation.
Later that night i did remember the language. Wonder what the new owner thought when he found out. Wonder how many young birds Oscar corrupted.
Just a reminder that people do judge us by what we say. Little people may also learn things from us. We need to be conscious of how much impact we have on others.
Remember that as you deal with people every day.
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