To savor each word, each thought.

I have a friend who talks. Virtually non-stop. About almost any and everything. Don't know how to take this. It's something new. She wasn't always like this. I almost feel like a psychotherapist. Listening. Listening for valuable clues. Why is she doing this? She sounds like a machine gun. The words, the thoughts come. Out of her mouth. In rapid-fire order. Rat-a-tat-tat. Like a machine gun. I tell her to slow down. Suspecting that she has too much on her mind. And she's trying to let it all out. All at once. Maybe that's a good sign. But then, maybe it isn't. I'm overwhelmed. Just listening. Observing. Evaluating. Occasionally, I butt in. Speak at a slower pace, I quip. I want her to speak with a slow and casual drawl. To sound as if she's no longer in a hurry. To reflect. To savor each word, each thought. --Jim Broede