This has been a recent topic of my mind in the last few days.

Choose your words. Choose how you say them. If they are not constructive, don't say them. Build up others with your words, don't tear them down.

Everyone learns this lesson many times over in their lives. I tend to learn it more often than most...sharing things is therapeutic for me. I love to share everything about everything. And I put my foot in my mouth...a LOT.

Many people have made me feel lesser for being that way...until one day I had this very short discussion with a guy friend in college, and I never forgot what he said.

I apologized to him, because I was being my usual overly-curious, over-sharing self.

"Sorry," I said, "I'm too open and blunt basically all of the time"

"Joy, that's okay..really," he said, "You're like an open book...with BIG print and PICTURES! It's not a bad thing at all!"

I had never thought that part of my personality was a positive thing. Most people keep things to themselves and don't ask a lot of questions. They leave it to themselves to discover things. I'm brimming with curiosities. Google doesn't know why such-and-such a person is the way that they are - I need to ASK! Haha..I can't help it.

And when I'm frustrated or worried or confused, I VENT! If I keep my thoughts ALL to myself, I go nuts - sometimes the encouragement and advice of other people is what I need to give me more to sit and think on and decide how to handle that emotion or situation. If I let myself be frustrated for 24 hours and vent about it, by the next day, I have a great new outlook and better attitude.

When I'm alone in my thoughts, only anger builds. Bitterness. Hardness of heart.

But you know what, sometimes you have to realize, that not EVERYONE is the RIGHT person to throw your concerns on. I can spill it to God, my husband, my sisters, my mom, and best friends...heck, even my dad and brothers!

These are people who will pray for me, love me, and always always encourage me. They'll let me feel how I need to feel, because they know I'll get over it soon enough.

So then comes this song. As something was weighing on my heart as of late, I heard this song out of nowhere. Sometimes, I need to just bite my tongue, because someone already hears the concerns and anxieties of my heart...my Savior!

There is a time and place and certain persons that I need to remember are okay to word-vomit to, and again, this song was exactly what I needed to hear. My next personal development item is to learn to keep quiet! There is beauty in being an open book with big print and pictures, but there is tact in shutting up too.

Here are some of the lyrics - which, since it's Relient K, I'm sure they're talking about their Savior.

Yeah I gotta keep quiet quiet
Listen to your voice
Because the power of your words
Can repair all that I destroyed
And when I finally do
Let it come from you
The peace of understanding grips my soul
You're the reason I
Have meaning in this life
Is so I swallow all my pride
And give you control
I give it all to you
And I gotta keep quiet quiet
Don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth
It'll just be to bite my tongue

Do you ever struggle with foot-in-your mouth syndrome? Thankfully, I have friends who have this syndrome too :) Looking back to laugh always helps.