By Jim Heffernan
I’ve been wondering a lot lately about how and when I became a talker. I think being a talker is something I’ve wanted all my life. Somehow at 77, I finally became one.
I find myself amazed when a seemingly well-connected stream of words comes out of my mouth. No planning, no rehearsing, I can just let fly.
As a child, I stammered and stumbled when I tried to say anything. When I was about 13, my parents sent me to twice weekly speech therapy sessions. I attended them on summer evenings at a clinic in east Denver. I don’t think the sessions did me much good, but I sure enjoyed the bus rides.
Summer nights in Denver have magic in them. The heat of the day dissipates quickly, but it never gets cold. There’s usually a slight breeze that caresses you and fills you with a sense of well-being. Sometimes there will be a summer thunderstorm that fills the sky with flashes of lightning and the roar of thunder. In a hour or so, the storm would move off to entertain someone else.
I lived on the western edge of Denver and the clinic was miles away in the eastern part of Denver. It took me about an hour and a half to get there on the bus. Maybe quicker if the transfer downtown went smoothly. I think I liked it better when I got to loiter and watch the tail-end of the bustling day. Nothing was open except for a few garish bars.
Sometimes, pretty girls would board the bus and we’d look at each other shyly. I always wanted to be clever and talk to them, but I never did.
Don’t get me wrong, I got by. I was usually the quiet guy in the group, but I did talk. Later on, I did learn to talk to girls some. Truth is, I always liked kissing better than talking.
I did find one girl who I liked talking with and kissing. 58 years ago, we married.
As a 18-year-old Airman Second Class, I started taking evening college classes. Speech 101 was one of the classes I chose. It was torture for me. I managed to earn “C” grades, but it wasn’t easy for me. I think most telling was at the end of the term I was voted “most improved.”
I think what finally broke the barrier between my brain and my lips was running for a minor political office. In March 2023, I ran hard for Position 1 on the Tillamook County Transportation District. I ended up talking to crowds and talking to lots of individuals, seeking their votes.
I began to like it and now I really love it. Watch out for me, if you’re not moving faster than me, I’m likely to strike up a conversation. My favorite is, “Do you want to talk about politics?”. Most people say no, but then they start talking anyway. Nobody’s hit me yet, so I might be doing something right.
I truly believe if we spent more time talking to one another and less time on our phones we’d be much better off.