Fill In The Blank(s)

Going to school I would sometimes get work sheets where there was a key with words and then so many sentences where I had to use those words to fill in the blank of those sentences. Sometimes the key would have more words than sentences which was probably the time I had the strongest dislike for those sheets. I bring those worksheets up because I, like I tend to do to often, got thinking and there are times I think we treat people like one of those fill in the blank worksheets but the only problem is we all to often are using the wrong key with the words to fill in the blanks (sorry over using that phrase). I think as we grow up and the people we interact with we build up a key of words we associate with certain kinds of people we meet, whether they truly fit those words or not. For example, I wear glasses, the most common (besides the ever popular four eyes) terms one hears is geek, nerd, and smart. I may fall into none,any or all of those categories but I just wear glasses because I can't see without them. Or maybe that cheerleader/model type person you see and automatically think is stuck-up/snobbish when in fact they are one of the nicest person you could ever want to meet. The examples are many but I'll move on to my next thought dealing with this. This would be the box of words we seem to automatically have available for when we're talking to certain people. Ever been talking to someone and they keep trying to fill in the next words you are going to say and they are way off. I'm guilty of doing all of the above examples and I've had them done to me. Or the ever popular I know exactly what you are talking about and they go on to give their own example of what you are talking about only for you to be sitting there thinking that is not even close to what I was talking about. So then you replay the conversation in your head trying to figure out what you said to make the person get to that conclusion. Sometimes when trying to tell something it's like when trying to tell a joke and a person keeps interrupting with what they think the punchline is to the point that by the time you get to the punchline you have 1)forgot it yourself, 2) it's no longer funny cause the rest of the joke has already been forgotten, 3) you can insert your own for number 3 cause I seem to have misplaced my example! I think to often we try to guess where the person is going with what they are saying that we never hear anything they are saying and that's a real shame. I'm one that it can take a while to get my words organized to say what I want to and then I still don't seem to quite get it right but often times in those breaks I wonder if a lot isn't getting added to those blanks and if so I wonder how much is way off. I often wonder how much of what I do say and what is heard is understood (cause I do know it is difficult to follow me and my very random thoughts in a conversation. I can barely keep up and I know where I'm trying to go) Maybe to a certain degree we all feel a little misunderstood or not heard and maybe we all are. I guess, if there was a point, it would be that perhaps we shouldn't limit the words that will be used to a key of the same old used words. Sometimes it's good to add to that list, sometimes it's good to forget you even have that list (I'm finding the older I get the easier that is becoming whether I want to or not!). Most importantly of all, at least to me, is to not think there is a fill in the blank we need to fill in but instead we just take the time to listen and if we find there is a blank that we didn't hear or wasn't said then ask the question that way the correct word is put in to that blank.