Will Miss #30 - saying anything in public (reflection)

I assumed when I came home that doing things like swearing in public would be off the table for me. Certainly, talking out loud about anything that was going on around me would be off limits. Well, I was wrong. There were a few things that I didn't account for when making my assumptions about life back home.

The primary one was just how few people actually walk around outdoors in the U.S. It isn't like Tokyo where you're almost always in a crowd. The chances that anyone is in earshot most of the time is far lower than I anticipated. Another thing that I didn't account for was the levels of self-absorption. There have been times when I've noticed people raptly listening in on conversations, especially at Starbucks when I've been telling a story which is relatively entertaining, but  most of the time people are in their own little world and can't be bothered to attend to what I'm saying. Finally, most people are walking around saying anything including profanity. While it wouldn't be true that I can swear a blue streak, the odd profanity here and there isn't out of the ordinary for anyone.

It turns out that I don't exactly have to miss saying anything in public. While I can't say absolutely anything, I certainly don't have to censor myself nearly as much as I may have expected.