Speech Therapy: Then and Now

During my early years in elementary school, I had to see a speech therapist for several reasons.  At first, I was treated for stuttering.  The therapist explained that it is common for young children with active minds to stutter because their mouth coordination has not yet developed enough to keep up with their minds.  My family will attest that I certainly did try to talk a mile a minute.  My therapist, Mrs. Apple, was fabulous, and my mouth soon caught up with my mind!

A year or so later, I met with a speech therapist again because I was confusing my "r" and "w" sounds.  What type of books do you enjoy "weeding"?  Did you "wide" in a "caw" today?

I'm so grateful for these speech therapists who quickly helped me address my speech issues.  Public speaking has been a vital skill for me since high school.  I have given speeches and presentations at multiple city council meetings and for corporate execs in 3 continents, and have facilitated various types of professional management training, but I can't remember stuttering or confusing my letter sounds at all since 3rd grade.  Thank you, Mrs. Apple!   However, speech therapy did not slow down my mind, and now, instead of confusing "r" & "w" sounds, I think I may be confusing words that start with "r" & "w".

Reading and Writing
I love to read and write. However, when I read, my over active mind analyzes every word and probably takes me far beyond what the writer may have intended.  Just as I once stuttered when I tried to speak, now I seem to stutter in my mind when I read silently.  My thoughts ping pong back and forth so that I often end up reading the same line 5 times before I can move on to the next one.  My 1st grade daughter reads much faster than I do.  She misses some details, but she gets the overall theme, story line, and enough details to thoroughly enjoy each book.  She can breeze through books at mind boggling speeds.   Since I consider every detail carefully (I'm left brained, obviously), I get a lot more out of each book, but I'm not efficient enough to read as many books as I desire.

Writing is great therapy for me, and I probably write almost as fast as I read.  To be a good writer, however, I need to read profusely.  So, it seems I am still confusing my R's and W's when it comes to reading and writing.

Running and Weights
Two of my favorite recreational activities are running and weight training.  While both are essential for good health, it is very difficult to excel in both activities simultaneously.  Running and weight training will eventually work against each other.  Strength is necessary to run well and is especially helpful when climbing hills.  However, too much body mass, even lean muscle mass, will slow down a runner.  Too much running will burn off the muscle gained through weight training.  Since I enjoy both activities, I must find a balance.   Running is most enjoyable when I feel light on my feet like a gazelle leaping through a meadow. Races are all about speed, so when I run, I want to run fast.  Weight lifting, on the other hand, should be slow and heavy to optimize results.  If I run like a weight lifter, I will not finish well, much less win the race.  If I lift lightly and quickly like a runner, I will not increase my strength.  With these 2 activities, I must be careful not to confuse my R's and W's.