Have you ever been interrupted? If not, I must admit I’m in shock. If so, I know all too well how that feels. Usually we can just blow it off and move on, but repeated interruptions are discouraging. Here is a short poem I wrote after an interruption that stung. Maybe this will provide words for you to vent about interruption frustrations as well. I hope it will also be a reminder for us to be careful not to interrupt others. Although interruptions are seldom intentional, they can still cause pain.

INTERRUPTED
©Tami Brumbaugh

I was mid-sentence
But you didn’t notice.
The remaining words
Toppled from my lips to the floor
Trampled by your dominant speech.

Experience kept my smile in place.
I swept my disappointment
Under the floor boards
But felt insignificance crawl out
And consume me.

I will listen to your story
And file mine away
But a stuffed drawer may cease to open.

Interrupting people seems so innocent. We sometimes do it without even noticing. At best it annoys others, but it can also hurt people—especially if it happens frequently.  With a little effort we can avoid interrupting (refer back to my post from February 21^st—Listen to ME) and become an active listener.