It is an absolute wonder to observe a human child in the process of acquiring language. This is one of the side benefits of my job. Much of this is bereavement work, but there are many hidden joys in the process. Just as they repeat an action with a toy over and over again; sliding a car down a track a million times in a row or peaking out from behind a pillow to make sure you are still there and going to say "peek-a-boo!" - they also repeat words. Testing out the sound; modifying it as they go to see if you will react to them, maybe repeat it back and get what they are saying. I witnessed the transition from pointing and grunting to proto-words and inflection today in an almost two year old. He was really trying to tell me stuff.
Later on tonight I had to repeat words over and over again from a prepared speech; changing my inflection, tone and questions depending upon whether I reached an answering machine, a friendly voter or a hostile voice. I've immersed myself in the satisfy grassroots effort of getting Democrats elected in special local elections around the country. This one was in Cobb County, Georgia near Atlanta for an empty State senate seat which Christine Triebsch, a family court attorney is trying to win in order to flip the Republican majority. 95% of the 35 calls I made were to answering machines. One person hung up on me, but the five people I did speak to were all voting for Christine and were happy to tell me so. It was a small, but happy group of us making calls. We all seemed to be in our 50-60's, raised in the era if the Vietnam War and peace protests and happy to be politically active and motivated in a united and meaningful way.
Later on tonight I had to repeat words over and over again from a prepared speech; changing my inflection, tone and questions depending upon whether I reached an answering machine, a friendly voter or a hostile voice. I've immersed myself in the satisfy grassroots effort of getting Democrats elected in special local elections around the country. This one was in Cobb County, Georgia near Atlanta for an empty State senate seat which Christine Triebsch, a family court attorney is trying to win in order to flip the Republican majority. 95% of the 35 calls I made were to answering machines. One person hung up on me, but the five people I did speak to were all voting for Christine and were happy to tell me so. It was a small, but happy group of us making calls. We all seemed to be in our 50-60's, raised in the era if the Vietnam War and peace protests and happy to be politically active and motivated in a united and meaningful way.
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| Ossoff and Triebsch in Georgia |
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