The thing about live radio is that there isn’t an option to edit your own words. What you don’t filter just comes right out.
I need a radio filter. That’s what I need.
I now have a weekly spot on the radio with The Good News with Angie Austin. It’s a delightful and optimistic talk show about current events and happy happenings in the news, and Angie’s team invited me to join them on Tuesday afternoons to record live conversations. I feel like a small town girl in the big city, what with the headphones and the producers and the real-deal everything.
Tuesday afternoons have always been my time slot with Jana-My-Amazing-Therapist, and now I’m mixing drinks at Starbucks until lunchtime, so the radio gig makes for quite a day of spinning plates. Case in point, I was literally putting on my tights in the elevator on the way up to the radio studio. Thankfully they are on the twelfth floor. Plenty of time to tug and hooch those tights where they needed to be. This is a whole new kind of hot mess.
So anyway, in Tuesday’s conversation, we were talking about boys, the heart and art of raising them. Let’s start with what I meant to say.
What I meant to say is that boys who are spirited and challenging cultivate some of the most interesting personalities. I meant to say that boys with strong wills make great leaders. I meant to say that when a challenging personality is channeled in the right direction, he can become a person of great conviction and charisma.
Instead, and I still can’t believe I said this, these words came out instead: “You know, I’ve found that when I meet a kid who’s easy to raise, I usually don’t like him very much.”
Now, come on, Trish. Let’s retract that a bit. ‘Cause that’s one doozy of a blanket statement. But on we went, with my misspoken words lingering in the air like a cartoon bubble you can’t erase.
It’s not what I meant. But there it was. There it still is, actually.
We’re now past the live recording and it’s all available for podcast listening, and it’s not what I meant but it’s what I said. I found myself thinking later about students I taught who had easy spirits, friends of mine who have compliant boys with gentle consciences, and people I love who would listen and think, “What? I thought she liked my kid.”
I did. I do. I will. It’s that radio filter thing that I need. Need.
For the record, I do like kids who are easy to raise. I think I even almost have one.
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To join my weekly conversations on The Good News with Angie Austin, you can listen on the radio, online or on a smartphone with the "tune in radio" app.
Monday through Friday
2—3:00pm on 670am KLTT http://www.670kltt.com/
5—6:00 pm 810am KLVZ http://www.810klvz.com/
Come on and have a listen.
Who knows what unfiltered thing I’ll accidentally say?
The things you will remember as you get older are the things you said WRONG, even though you meant something amazingly right. Don't beat yourself up about it. Remember instead that God knew what you MEANT to say, and HE didn't filter it either, so HE must have had a reason for what you said. It took me a long time to realize this and accept it, but a redhead reminded me of it, several years back when I said 'the wrong thing'.
I still think she's pretty special. 😉
Ok - just some observations:
1. Invite people to listen and vote for their favorite "unscripted" comment. They must include why they liked it. Winner receives a free book.
2. Tell them you meant to say "dogs".
3. You have a filter - it just has bigger holes.
4. Seriously, you were working on your "tights"? It's RADIO! You could wear a ratty bathrobe and NO one would know.