better left unsaid

   To say I was born outspoken is an understatement. "Some things are better left unsaid" was an idiom as polar to me as being athletic or tall. As a child, I would have had better luck getting a touchdown than keeping my mouth shut. I just never understood the logic behind not vocalizing what I believed everyone was thinking. My observations never remained a thought in my head for very long. For me, not talking just seemed unnatural. 
   From early on, I shared my opinions, often ones that left my mother embarrassed, with everyone- adults, teachers, strangers, family, other kids on the playground. I swear to God as young as 5 yrs old, I remember thinking, "everyone else is stupid except me." I collected viewpoints and traded them like baseball cards. It never occurred to me to keep these thoughts to myself due to some unpleasantness it may cause. 
    Besides, when friends or family tell you something, it tends to be indirect and faint so, it's best to hear it from someone like me. Surely, you needed to know that you were fat, loud, slow, off-key, or incorrect. I wasn't responsible for the hurt my candidness caused. I was honest, and I found it irrational to apologize for something like that. 
   Trying to navigate what was appropriate to say is difficult when your parents tell you not to lie. So, I'm supposed, to tell the truth, but not really and not out loud? As an adult, I've learned subtlety and tact are a practice, not a trait. "Some things are better left unsaid" is now a phrase I'm realizing is right, just usually after having said some things.