Thirty-eight makes me think about what it feels like to change my mind. Sometimes I spend so long explaining what I meant that I miss the chance to understand what the other person heard. By the time I notice, I’ve made the conversation harder than it needed to be.

I’d like to get more comfortable saying, “Let me think about that.” It gives me a chance to go back over what was said after the heat of the moment has passed. Sometimes I find I still feel the same way. Sometimes there’s a piece I didn’t see at first, and it changes the whole conversation when I bring it up the next day.

I hope getting older makes it a little easier to be honest about that. There are people I trust more because I’ve heard them say, “I see it differently now.” I want to be able to say the same thing when it’s my turn.