Pomp-ass

I started writing a blog called Boys & Dogs; in it I was extolling the virtue of reflecting on one's own thoughts and behaviors via her polar opposites--with gender being the most obvious. And while this process is authentic and true for me, as I wrote I began to feel pompous. You know the reaction we get toward pompous people: "AH, blow it out your ass!"

When that internal dialogue started, it was time to switch gears. Though I do wonder how often those in the male "species" have these sorts of internal dialogues! It seems that there can be a real fine line between authentic and pompous.

How much of our story is just enough without being too much? Is it the extraneous details--which may be shared while one is in the process of getting to his or her point--that creates an air of pomposity, or perhaps simply bores the listener? Is it the conversational shift from first person to third? Are we too impatient or too desensitized to allow extraneous details to be shared? "Just get to the point already, will ya?!"

As I write, I reflect on my own impatience and desensitization, apropos since I just noted and demonstrated the switch from first to third person. And, since I've been around this block before, I remember my last conclusion: the extraneous details (a.k.a. the little things) give birth to the big ideas. However the big ideas may be challenging to express in the first person. As I learn more or become more attuned to my desire to honor the big ideas that float into my head, I become more aware of all the experiences that paved the way for or led up to their creative spark.

Perhaps as I become more patient with my own process of expressing opinion, I become more patient with others and their sharing processes. And perhaps those among us with the most patience toward others in their process of expression are the least pompous?