So, today was supposed to be a "planned" gift day--but because of all the Gov homework (for the We the People competition, also tomorrow) and the Great Expectations paper (which I turned in to my teacher still warm from the printer), I wasn't able to come up with something that I would have been proud to give someone. So today was a spontaneous "spontaneous" gift day.
I had late-night speech practice until 7pm today so I didn't get home until late, just a couple of hours ago. I performed my oration once in front of Mrs. M at the beginning of practice, right after school, but I stumbled on my words a lot, more so than usual. Nervousness, I guess. Anyway, after that, I went to my little secluded corner over by the Make Out Bench and the stairs that lead up to Upper Gym so that I could smooth things out by myself. I was just saying my speech to myself over and over again, as slowly as I possibly could without sounding weird, making sure that I got everything down and memorized, up to the very last syllable. Sometimes, it gets pretty weird when students and teachers pass by and in my head, I'm like, "Oh hey there, Casual Passerby #17...don't mind me, I'm just practicing my speech here." But they don't hear that, of course; to them, I'm just That Weird Senior Girl on the Speech and Debate Team Who Walks and Sits Around School Talking to Herself All the Time. And that's perfectly okay.
I always get a variety of Casual Passerby. There's the "I'm just gonna keep on walking so that I don't bother her" kind of Casual Passerby. Then there are some who belong in the "Whoa, who is this weird girl? I'm going to stare at this girl until she messes up" kind of Passerby. Sometimes, though, a couple of people would just stop in their tracks and watch me, staying behind my line of vision so as not to bother me, keeping quiet lest they ruin my flow. I am grateful for the first kind of Passerby's consideration and understand where the second kind is coming from. But I value the third kind the most because they make me feel like my words matter, enough to have stopped them mid-stride. Although they may think, at first, that standing nearby might be a distraction, I like to think of them as motivation. Instead of talking to a wall, I have an audience, even for just a couple of minutes. And trust me, nothing brings out the best speaker in a person like a great audience.
Today, my Casual Passerby of the third kind came in the form of a freshman boy named Spencer. He is also a member of the speech and debate team but because he's not competing tomorrow, he wasn't obliged to attend practice. I've had short conversations with him a few times, but not enough to get to know him. He seemed to be bored, walking around aimlessly when he found me sitting and talking to myself. So he sat down next to me and I continued with my speech without looking at him. He was quiet the entire time, attentively listening, and then he clapped his hands as I concluded my speech.
Spencer's such a sweet guy, and just like me, he is a TALKER. I know just how much TALKERS love to talk (much more than the average person, of course) and just how much they love it when people listen and care about what they say, no matter what. I was already tired of talking to the wall so I said to myself, "Self, let's take a break from talking in general, for now, and let's just listen." So I did. Spencer told me about his adventures in Lincoln-Douglas debate, his speeches in English 9 with Dr. Won, that one time he hit a homer when he played baseball a couple of years ago and how his parents took him out to get shave ice after the game, etc. He is a really great storyteller. He stretches them out, drawing out the suspense, pausing at the right moments, focusing on and describing details that bring forth a scene and then come together at the very end. And then, he hits you with a punch line, a memorable POW of an ending. I've always admired storytellers and have so much respect for those who write, too. So I asked Spencer about writing and he just glowed and gushed and told me about his current writing project. I told him about NaNoWriMo and he got really excited about them. I think we were sitting there for a good half an hour or so.
So, today, my gift was the simple but beautiful gift of listening. Although I know that Spencer appreciated my attentive ear, I can't help but think that I also gave myself a gift--the gift of a new friend with whom I share the same passions for words. Can it get any better than that? I don't think so.
All righty, sleepy time!
Risks taken: 13
Hugs: 3
Current food cravings/obsessions: water........I always seem to get dehydrated when blogging...
Playlist(s) of the Week: "Like an 'N,' But Not Really"
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