Dentist chair conversations

I paid a visit to my dentist this week.  As I sat in the chair having a sort of half-conversation with her, tubes and picks sticking out of my mouth, it struck me how both unusual and applicable dentist chair conversations are.  Have you ever had a conversation where you’re completely engaged with an idea and just can’t get the words out fast enough, your mind constantly racing ahead?  The pitfall in these situations is that you don’t take the time to listen, appreciate and react to the ideas of the person you’re conversing with.  The conversation may become one-sided, the other person politely nodding their head, hopefully amused by your enthusiasm.  The dentist chair turns the situation around, forcing you to communicate nonverbally, listen and think for a minute or two before your next opportunity to slip in a word or two before going silent again.  So if you think you might be prone to rambling on a bit and want to change that, during your next conversation just imagine that you’re sitting in a dentist chair.