Just Because I Talk To Myself...

A few days ago one of my students asked if I talk to myself a lot. He probably oberved me having one of my animated conversations with absolutely no one as I walked down the hallway of the middle school where I teach. I had two thoughts before answering his question.

1. We are clearly still in beginning-of-the-year mode, because if he had been in my class for more than a few days he would know that I talk to myself all the time. It's not a secret.

2. The hesistant manner in which he asked the question reminded me of the way I used to tiptoe around my mom when she was in an a remarkably bad mood- as if she could snap any moment. This poor adolescent child was really concerned for my mental health, and he was afraid I would turn on him in an instant.  Poor kid.

I gave him my usual response- something flippant like "Of course. If I want to have a meaningful conversation what other choice do I have?" But it did start me thinking- why exactly do I have a penchant for engaging in full on discussions with myself?  Could I stop if I tried, or is the habit so ingrained that it is now simply a part of the fabric of who I am? Perhaps most importantly, do I care?

Not really.

The truth is, I like talking to myself. It helps me form coherent thoughts, logical arguments, and realistic solutions. I never have to wait until I'm available to have a conversation with myself, and I am never critical of my own ideas and opinions. If I do say so myself, I am quite the conversationalist. I see no reason to stop now.

Well, except for one. Some people might think that I'm the tiniest bit crazy. We've all seen the stereotype of the crazy woman with long tangled hair who wears an old housecoat (What exactly is a housecoat anyway?) and mutters to herself as she picks up random bits of trash to carefully place in her battered shopping cart. I'm pretty sure I don't exude the crazy/homeless vibe, but life can be a slippery slope.  Talking to yourself one day and dumpster diving the next.

Perhaps this little blog will take the place of my need to talk to myself. More likely I'll just start discussing with myself potential blog topics, but it's worth a shot, right? Either way, I'll just have to keep in mind that just because I talk to myself it doesn't mean I'm crazy.