By Kutlo Lekwapa
My excuse for not being much of a talker has always been that I communicate better through writing than speaking. Being naturally timid and anxious around crowds, I am the happiest around those closest to me. And when they aren’t around, I call them.
During one conversation, a friend asked, “You always have this slight pause before answering a question, especially over the phone. Why don't you answer right away? Are you unsure what you want to say?” She sounded agitated.
After our phone call, I thought about it for a moment and realized it was true. I have a quiet and calm demeanor. Coupled with being an overthinker, I always take a moment of reflection before responding in conversation. But the overthinker in me magnified that critique beyond what I should have, leaving me feeling as though I had a speech impediment. I felt judged.
Ellen G. White, Our High Calling, p. 116.
Paul G. Simeone, PhD, Vice President and Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Lee Health.
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Kutlo Lekwapa is from Botswana and is a Christian media ministry major at Hartland College. She was an intern at Last Generation magazine when she wrote this article.