Words and Verbal Habits

I'm a psychology major, and in my learning class last week we discussed Verbal Learning, and the thing that stuck with me most is the idea that who you are around shapes your speech and verbal habits. We use slang around our friends. We never (or rarely) curse in front of our families. We talk baby talk to babies. We use bigger words around our professors and bosses. We use smaller words around children.
This made me think more carefully about the ways my verbal habits have changed over the years, things I used to say have been replaced by things that I say now, and some things have stayed the same.

1. The struggle/The struggle is real: My best friend taught me this one, and it's become one of our most common phrases. Anything that takes more effort than we feel like exerting at the given moment.
I'll give you an example: Painting my nails and then getting hungry before they were entirely dry and having to make food. Could I do it if I was starving? Probably. Did I feel like doing it right when I was hungry? Nope... The struggle... (I texted her to tell her all about it, but I couldn't go get food. Touch the phone...Touch the refrigerator...)
2. Babytalk/My little kid voice: My significant other thinks this is cute... Unless I'm talking to a little baby or a dog, I shouldn't be using this voice. And even then it's a little unnecessary...
3. Curse words: I would never curse in front of my parents or my grandparents, my teachers or my boss, or even my significant other's parents, but put me in front of my friends or my SO and I'm probably overusing and misusing most of the curse words I know.

Take some time today, look into your life, and think about the different ways you communicate with people based on their relationship to you. You might be surprised what you find...

Fold and Roll

I spent a good portion of today taking all the shirts I own out of their drawer, folding them in thirds and then rolling them up in order to try and save space. It's amazing to me that the amount of stuff that overflowed the cabinet folded flat beforehand just barely fills the drawer when they're rolled up and stacked now. I'm totally in shock.

I rolled my tank tops too and was shocked to find the same thing again. I'm confused as to how this is possible, but I'm not complaining since it means I don't have to get rid of any of my favorite clothes.

Life on the Water

I've always wanted to wake up every morning to the sunrise over the water and spend my sleepless nights and midday musings staring out at the ripples in the current and the boats rocking on the water.

And now I get to do that most days, because the love of my life started renting  a home right on the shore of the bay. I've always been a water baby. It's like I should be a mermaid or something... I practically live in water at all moments that I can. I feel at home in a pool, a nice warm bath, or even a river deep enough to wade in in the spring. My love for water is seemingly a part of me that I will never get rid of, so finding out about him moving into this wonderful house made my heart skip a few beats.

We've been in the house for about a month now, and I'm still in love with the view... I sit in my favorite chair every night that I can staring at the water watching the current move. Every once in a while in the middle of the day I get the chance to see a boat full of people go fishing or the heron who lives on our dock, or the ducks swimming past in the water.

The house needs a little work, but I wouldn't change the view for the world. I'd give anything to have a boat sitting out at the dock waiting to spirit me away on the bay for the afternoon, but I guess that will come in time.