Drag Illustrated Issue 150, November 2019 | Page 49

D.I. COLUMNIST The Real Deal with Tommy D'Aprile A s many of you know, I base many of my col- umns on personal sto- ries and things that I have gone through in my own life. This column will be no different and maybe, just maybe, it will re- late to some, if not all of you. How many of you wish you could take back something you’ve said before? I dare say all of you would say yes to that question at one point or another. I know for me there have been many times I should have thought and kept my mouth shut before I spoke. Have you ever heard this phrase: “All of us should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger”? Even better, how many of us wish we would have followed those instruc- tions a time or two? Not only do we not think before we speak, but sometimes we think we know it all and are always right. Sound fa- miliar? Something to think about for future experiences, for sure. So here is a story about me and my big mouth. Last week at work, things were getting a little hectic and busy. My service manager was on the phone and looked like to me as though he needed help. So I preceded to open my mouth and tell him things that I thought would help, or in other words, things he needed to do. Not listening to the conversation completely, I continued to blab about what I thought he needed. Turns out I was completely off base and wrong, but my mouth thought otherwise. He then proceeded to get mad and I used my big mouth to shoot back at him, because it’s all about me, right? Long story short, it made for a very uncomfortable situation. Now, I tell you this story to show what happened next. Instead of staying prideful, I returned to my co-worker and apologized. We then squashed the issue and continued on with our day. The ques- tion I have is, how many of you have said something with your big mouth and instead of apologizing, you just let your pride keep hold of the last word? All of us will have trouble from time to time with our words, but the fact remains that we don’t have to let those words linger. We need to realize that we have used our big mouths to cre- ate a problem and we can use the same mouth to apologize and use words to help heal. Remember this: the tongue is the hardest muscle to tame. It’s quick and deadly. Sometimes I say something and don’t even real- ize I said it – that’s how quick this happens. Remember the saying “bite your tongue”? Well, it works, but you have to literally bite your tongue. There were times I had bruises on my tongue, but I’m telling you that it was worth it. The bruise on my tongue saved emotional bruises that would have been far worse. If you really want to get down to it, it’s all about discipline and having the restraint to think before you speak. Most of the words you use in the heat of the moment will not be the words you use after taking time to calm down and think. When you feel the urge to just spill your words and your emotions are high, that would be the time to take a step back and think before you speak. This choice will save you a lot of aggravation and pain. All of us wish we could go back and change what we said, but you can’t. Here is the good part, though – you can change the way you react in the future. Start making better choices with your words and just see how rewarding it can be. As for me and my big mouth, we will do the same. As always, the choice is yours to make. Email Tommy at [email protected] November 2019 Around the world or around the track, you won’t find a higher quality line of bearings and rod ends with Aurora’s proven 40 year track record. R Aurora Bearing Company 901 Aucutt Road Montgomery IL. 60538 Complete library of cad drawings and 3D models available at: www.aurorabearing.com Ph: 630-859-2030 [phone] Meziere.com Water Pumps • Starters • Flexplates all crafted in the U.S.A. DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 49