Today’s reverb10 prompt:
Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?
I can’t read this without hearing wise Yoda reminding me that there’s a big difference between trying and doing.
I know that for me, try is often a waffling word that is pretending to be saying one thing and really deep down intending something else. Sometimes this comes from politeness (if I say I’ll try to stop by your party instead of just telling you that I won’t be there) and sometimes it comes from indecision or a lack of clarity.
Either way, it leads to vague communication and fuzzy thinking. Saying I’ll try to get to the 4:30 yoga class when I know that I’ll probably be in the office later than that and will go to the 6:30 class doesn’t do anyone any favors, least of all me. It raises expectations or can even cause unnecessary disappointment or confusion. If I’ve cluttered up my language with try, it makes it harder to speak clearly when I am sure of my decision.
What I’m going to do in 2011 is be alert to the word try, and recognize that when I hear myself saying it, I need to pause and really think about: what do I want? what do I choose? what will I do?