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ImageSMART TALK

by Dr. Ced Riley



ANXIOUS/EAGER: "I've been anxious to meet you!" exclaimed a new patient at the Institute for English as a First Language. While I shook hands and smiled, my snarky inner voice replied, Great Freudian slip; you should be anxious.

This new patient, whom I'll refer to as NP, suffered from a common malady we could call Dictionary Deprivation but is more likely Educational Amnesia.

Anxious means full of anxiety - duh, hello? - and therefore is neither a pleasant feeling nor a pleasant thing to say when greeting someone you're happy to see. Be anxious about health care or your child's friendship with that smooth talking older kid, but at least pretend to be eager to meet me.

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