Confessions of a Talkaholic...

We women talk too much, but even then we don't tell half what we know.

- Nancy Astor

In the Greek mythology, Echo was the goddess known for her incessant jabbering. Hera, the wife of Zeus, gets angry at Echo and curtails her power of speech and soon Echo was left repeating only the last words of others. If people of today's world are capable of cursing others and robbing them of their speeches, I believe I would top the head of the queue in losing my ability to talk :)

Since I was a kid, I loved to hear the sound of my own voice and it has never stopped till now. A compulsive conversationalist, I can no longer stand the silences punctuating anybody's sentences. Within five minutes of meeting a stranger, I am already half-way through exchanging my life stories with them. Though this skill makes me the lifeblood of any social gathering, earns me compliments as the perfect hostess, and projects me as someone with a friendly aura, this affliction of mine has cost me a few friendships as some people get intimidated by my verbal diarrhea. I would have perhaps not stood out back in India with most women having the gift of the gab, but in other cultures I generally have to exercise caution when I talk as I observe some people to be more reserved and guarded. My first foray into the cyber world of chatting with a stranger (er...not a total stranger, we did have a mutual friend) turned out to be a total disaster and put me off cyber talks.

On a lighter vein, if I were to use this gift of mine for gainful employment, where would I fit in?

1) Counsellor: It might work if my conversations are laden with adequate pauses so the clients are able to get a word in between and their money's worth :) Though given my emotional baggage, I am usually good material for the psychiatrist's couch than being on the other side of the table.

2) Street preacher: Perhaps I could be a rabble rouser and impress the crowd with "fire and brimstone" sermons, even embellish it with Dante's descriptions to give it more effect.

3) Salesperson: Perfect as long as I do not have any supervisors breathing down my neck and asking me to meet any sales targets :(

4) Talk show hostess: I could perhaps groom myself to become the next Oprah seeing that there is going to be an empty slot in the CBC in 2011.

5) Mobile Chat Service: High potential especially in airports and emergency waiting rooms where I can carry monologues with people for a small fee.

6) Trainer/Professor: Providing the worthy service of putting insomniacs and sleep deprived students to sleep.

Any other suggestions folks???