Dear Reader Column 04-20-07

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Dear Reader,

I'm convinced the most important part of a sentence comes after the word "but."

But--usually by then I've already stopped listening. I get excited and start celebrating too early, because everything leading up to the word "but" sounded like just what I wanted to hear.

"I think you're talented...but you aren't getting the job."

"I love you...but I don't want to marry you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings...but you started it."

See what I mean? What someone really wanted to tell you, but they chickened out at the last minute, it's hanging out behind the "but." It's the coward's way out.

But there are other ways of looking at it. My friend suggested that perhaps saying what you really mean after the word "but," isn't the coward's way out, it's merely "softening the blow."

And she could be right...BUT...I don't think so.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

P.S. I FELL IN LOVE with two poems last week. I found them in the book, The Spoken Word Revolution, Redux. Read a poem, or listen to the poet read to you, get a great recipe and enter the drawing for a free copy of the book. Let me know if you liked the poems, too. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/ypof6d

READ THE CLASSICS: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/35ylrr

Comments

[Fahmeeda Qadri]

This is too creeping that Verginia tech incident happen while you are running crazy.