Echolalia basically means that I am a parrot. The sounds and words that I hear on a daily basis come in and then find a way to escape from me once again. So the things that I surround myself with are mirrored to show others what I do with my time and the things I surround myself with. I can't hide anything.
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| Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash |
This is why Paula gives me such great stories because she mimics and imitates the world around her. Though sometimes at the joking expense of others. But imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? So don't be offended when I repeat what you literally just said...
The other day we were having a lunch party for a friend who is leaving the company I work for. A few of the mothers brought their children along, which was great. These kids spend all day with us at the gym anyways and we love them.
One little guy, Tanner, is only about 2 years old. He is adorable and usually gets a lot of attention around the gym. So when the adults were suddenly not giving him attention because we were chatting, he does what most 2-year-olds do. "Mama, mama, mama, mama!" Came in a constant stream while his mother continued to tell the story she was sharing.
Remember, there is no logic or reasoning behind when my tics come out, but we were all crying, when I looked right at him as Paula started to also exclaim, "Mama, mama, mama, mama!"
The poor child was not exactly sure how to handle this situation and gave a look of mixed confusion and horror that I would mimic him in such a way.
The adults were all crying with laughter.
Here is the poignant part. I love when Paula mirrors what other people are doing and shows them what they look like. It doesn't happen often, but it is quite great. Tanner didn't try to interrupt his mom at all the rest of the lunch and she was quite grateful, I'm sure.
While it's great for others, I'm also a fan of several other aspects of Echolalia. I love seeing life principles that I can apply into my life to make it better, and this form of TS does such a great job. I can tell by what type of tics I'm having where a lot of my subconscious thinking is.
Remember how Paula likes to sing? I'm obviously spending a lot of time around music.
The sassiness that Paula does? Comes from the fun and sassy people I hang out with.
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| Photo by Alan Godfrey on Unsplash |
When I was a little girl (as in I might not even have been in school yet, or had just started), computers were a relatively new thing. Average people didn't have much access before but were now becoming more commonplace. She went away for a few days to a conference to learn more about computers.
When she came home, I remember her telling me one of the lessons she learned for searching (before Google) was the acronym GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out. What you put in a search will determine the quality of what you get out of it.
I have such great stories because I surround myself with good people, good music, good... well, everything. I intentionally surround myself with things that make me happy, and when it gets parrotted back to me, I am able to find twice the joy in it.
What do you surround yourself with?
Stop and take a look around. Do the people you spend your time with make you smile? What about the movies you watch and the music you listen to?
Are you one person at work around the office and someone completely different at home?
If you had a parrot on your shoulder all day long repeating what you spent the most time around, would it irritate you or bring a smile?
What would you change? And why don't you change it?
Take Charge!
Let me be your parrot for a little bit. Download my free 8-question guide to see what to keep and what to change in your life. Get it HERE!
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