I went one week without speaking to anyone. Well, that was the goal. I had lost my voice for some unknown reason. I thought I had just been talking too much, but doc put a funny rubber thing up my nose and down my throat and said it was acid reflux.
So anyways, back to the one week. Voiceless. A lot more difficult than I would have imagined. The voice comes up in so many spots that I didn’t realize. Ordering at a restaurant and trying to get the salad WITHOUT the cheese. Yeah, try to figure out how to say “without” without a voice. Walking into Whole Foods and not replying when somebody wishes you a good day. Having a genius idea and not saying out loud, “genius!”
I didn’t make it the whole week. Life happened, as it is wont to do. I needed to speak with my ex-girlfriend about something and really, it couldn’t wait. Not only was I annoyed at myself for not being able to make it one week without speaking, but my throat was annoyed at me for forcing it to vibrate against its will. Needless to say, my little thumbs bounced moment after moment into iFeelio.
What’s the conclusion? If only I had one. Let’s just say that I am a very fortunate person to be born with the privilege to have a voice, physically and politically. While it may not always feel that way, often my voice is masked behind fear, and I just need the courage to speak through that fear.
There are many people out there who try to navigate this world and who don’t have a voice. What I can say to you is that you have a voice, and I can reach out with the compassion and the willingness to help you find it, because, frankly, life is a lot easier when you have a voice.