One of the good things about this long-distance relationship with
Simon is that I get to practice mirroring. I might be fully awake and
bursting with stories to tell, but that would be cruel sensory
overload for someone who’s just waking up or about to go to sleep. So
I rein myself in and focus instead on matching his energy level. I
talk slowly when he talks slowly, and excitedly when he’s also
excited. Then I can gradually shift to other energy levels if I want
to, listening to make sure we’re still in sync. I love doing that
because I know how wonderful it feels when I’m mirrored, too. I
sometimes forget and get carried away, but I’m getting better at
remembering! =)

You should try it, if you don’t already do that. When you’re spending
time with someone, figure out what their energy state is, and match it
before changing. It doesn’t have to be an exact match. Also, no
one-upping allowed! But when you start paying attention to the flows
of tone and energy in a conversation, you’ll find that it’s just so
fascinating…

Random Emacs symbol: gnus-group-catchup-current – Command: Mark all unread articles in the current newsgroup as read.