Do you know how many words you hear each and every day? Probably at least 2,000.

Here are just a few places you hear words:

-Some deep-voiced lady on the radio talking about her book club
-The guy at S.A. asking if you have a Speedy Rewards card
-A spam call telling you to oprima el dos para Espanol
-Your doctor asking why you missed your ouchie down-there-test
-Your significant other talking about their dinner
-Your regular nightly show and the many many words being said on it

That’s just a small sample.

Sometimes your brain doesn’t want to listen to these words. It wants to concentrate while you look at Boo on Facebook for half an hour. It was to sing the words to I’m Every Woman, even if you don’t want it to. It wants to hear its own voice.

So today, zone out while someone is talking to you. Think about homemade macaroni and cheese and all the kinds of cheese it has in it. Like parmesan. Sharp cheddar. Fontina? Ricotta even.Think about a sext that failed to elicit the desired response and make a game plan for next time. Think about what the world we be like if everything was measured in Oprah Winfreys.

You won’t miss much. If you feel you did, ask them to email you those thoughts for your records. You might even sound important.

–Becky Lang