The way we start a sentence doesn’t need to determine the way we end it.

I heard someone at work talking to a customer down the hall. She began a sentence with “If you don’t like it…” I thought she was getting a bit firm with a customer, perhaps giving an ultimatum. But then I heard the rest of the sentence: “If you don’t like it, give us a call and let us know. We can troubleshoot with you.”

I was relieved. And I later told her I appreciated the reminder that the way we begin a sentence doesn’t determine how we end it. It doesn’t seem that way at times. We get on a roll and feel like we have to follow through, whether heading toward the negative or positive. We commit. We stubbornly continue. Commitment and follow through are good qualities, right? At least some of the time. But they can lead us down some roads that betray who we really want to be, the values we claim, the people around us. But we stick with it, and along the way we ignore and hurt others and ourselves.

Sentences are sometimes simple but frequently not. They help us express pivots. They reveal indecisiveness and strength, questions and exclamations, pauses and ramblings. The first word doesn’t determine the last. The first chapter doesn’t determine the last. The first breath doesn’t determine the last, so take another breath, jot a comma, and ….

Go ahead. Think about it. The next word will be there when you need it.

(Ashley at work: If you don’t like it…)

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