The Isolation Journals - Day 76

Prompt:  Write about a time when you were NOT impeccable with your word.

The context:  In 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz published a book called The Four Agreements. Derived from ancient Toltec wisdom, it outlines four rules for a happier, more expansive, more abundant life. The first of these four agreements, the one that all the others build upon: Be impeccable with your word.

To be impeccable is to be without fault, to abide by the highest standards. To do this with your word means speaking with integrity, calling things by their right name, only making promises you can keep, avoiding deception or gossip—in short, ensuring everything you say is above reproach.

This concept is at the deepest core of the great wisdom traditions. How often have we heard that honesty is the best policy? Or that you shall not bear false witness? Or that the truth shall set you free? In yogic practice, it’s called satya; in Buddhism, right speech. Your word has power, and you must use that power, as Ruiz advises, “in the direction of truth and love.”
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 I'm a proud Native New Jerseyan who has lived in the South for the last 7 years.  That's fixin' to be a full 20% of my life.  Over the years, the sideways vocabulary of the South has sidled into my vernacular, but I am here today to say that will not stand.

In the Northeast, if you have a problem, you name it loudly and directly.  If you think someone has a problem with you, there's no pussyfooting around.  "You talkin' to me?" we demand at the slightest provocation.  Some may find that aggressive, but I think it's clear and efficient.

In the South, there's an insidious veil over our speech.  There's a sugar-coating of unpleasant truths; there are noncommittal, indirect phrases.  I've written about this before, but it's a pet peeve of mine.  I thought I spoke American English, but Southern is its own mysterious dialect, and after 7 years of immersion, I'm merely conversant, but here's a bit of what I understand:

Bless your/his/her heart = What a dumb SOB
Fixin' to = Maybe will eventually [become/do] on an unspecified timeline
Might could = Technically possible but highly unlikely
I reckon = I lack the confidence or knowledge to fully assert my beliefs or opinions
Isn't that precious = (Interchangeable with Bless your heart when referring to a person) What a stupid person/thing/behavior

I reckon I might could learn to speak Southern fluently, and I'm fixin' to try, but bless my heart, it ain't easy, y'all.