I will NOT do __________

Have you ever thought about something so hard that you end up acting upon those thoughts? I have…too many times. Once, I was talking to the conductor, Sara, of the youth orchestra I was in throughout high school. The young woman was Australian and grew up in England; her accent was strong. For the entirety of my Freshman year and the summer before, I worked with her. She studied violin through grade school and she picked up conducting later in her college years. Unfortunately, she left to find a permanent conducting position with a professional orchestra after that year. The following year, she came back to visit. Since I enjoyed working with her the year before, I immediately went to speak with her. As I glided towards her, I heard her speaking with that distinct accent, I thought hard about not reciprocating the accent back to her. As soon as we exchanged greetings and she asked me how I had been, I responded with the same accent. I was mortified! Surprisingly, she expressed how she thought I had imitated the accent well. Sara even suggested that I become an actress. Amused and embarrassed, I bowed my now blushed countenance. I guess I had learned my lesson—no matter how hard I tell myself NOT to do something, I will end up doing the very thing I set out to avoid.