putting things into perspective

I'll be the first one to tell you that I am all to often the person that speaks and then immediately feels the need to "insert foot in mouth now..." I don't always think about things before I say them and before I never really put much thought into this being a problem. I guess in recent weeks I've paided closer attention to what I say and how it will affect people.

The other day I was in line to get a drink and the girl next to me ordered a diet pepsi. No big deal right, and normally I wouldn't have given it a second thought. The guy behind the counter however caught my attention when he handed her the drink and said "here ya go, here's your cancer in a cup." I of course had to tell him that I didn't find it very funny after he started laughing at his own "joke." And then a couple hours later someone else on campus goes, "oh yeah well your mom has cancer..." And I was like yeah actually she does. Kinda a conversation stopper right there. Maybe I'm just more sensitive about stuff like this right now. But it really has made me stop and think about what I say and how it can affect someone sitting within ear shot. Words are a pretty powerful thing, they can build someone up or they can break someone apart. It just might do us all good to stop, think, and then speak.