Words

Today I think I shall talk a little bit about words. I love words. I always have. I've always been a fair speller and I confess that I can be quite a "Spelling Nazi," although I try never to make people feel self-conscious about their spelling. I can spot a typo from a mile off. I flip open a newspaper and my eye goes directly to a misspelling. It drives me insane when auto-correct changes the words I intended to use, and it irritates me immensely when I discover I've inadvertently skipped a word or made an error in my own writing.

I remember years ago, when I worked with a young man at a convenience store. I came in to start my shift, and he looked so pleased with himself as he pointed out that he had changed the sign out front. That sign was miserable to change. It was very high up, and you had to use a suction cup on a long pole to do it. You'd lay the large Lucite letter tiles on the ground, and then smacked the rubber cup down hard on them to create a suction so that you could pick them up, which rarely happened if there was rain or snow to get the letters wet. Then you had to raise the pole up and slip the letter into an upper slot, lower it into a lower slot, and then peel the suction cup away, leaving the letter in place. If you had smacked it too hard, sometimes that little bugger did not want to let go and you'd have to fight with it. If you didn't smack it hard enough, it would fall off and you'd have to dodge it so you wouldn't get hit in the head. Well, I walked up to the front of the store to admire his work through the front window even before I had my coat off, and placing my hand on his shoulder, solemnly said, "I'm sorry, hon, but you spelled a word wrong." He almost cried. :)

Misuse of words like there, their and they're drive me crazy. Apostrophes where they don't belong (i.e. "bun's for sale), or missing from where they do (i.e. "I dont want to do that"), confusion over the use of  I and me also bugs me terribly. If someone says, "me and Jim went to the store," in my mind I shout, "Jim and I! It's Jim and I!!!" I bite my tongue, though, because it's not anything to make an issue over.

It's not just spelling, or grammar, or punctuation that I am obsessive about. It's the words. Words are so powerful. Words can build up or destroy. They can be ugly or beautiful. They can convey feelings, whether spoken or withheld, and the absence of them can speak more loudly than any vocalization ever could. I am an excellent writer (she said modestly), but I am an awful talker. I can sit down and scrawl out a five-page letter telling someone in great detail what's on my heart, but if I try to voice those same feelings, the words get jumbled, I can't think clearly, and I inevitably start to cry so I can't speak at all. That is a huge detriment, because it often results in my bottling up my feelings, which is never a good thing for anyone. My husband knows when I'm mad or hurt by my silence, but I've always wished I could express those feelings with words instead. The words just don't flow through my lips as they do from my pen.

I love how words string together to create a lovely scene. I love how they dance together in the lyrics of a song, and how a poem can paint a masterpiece of language. I used to dabble with poetry quite a bit when I was younger, but as my husband would likely point out, it's not technically REAL poetry... it's that "rhyme-y stuff." I confess, I like the challenge of rhyming. To try to express something eloquently and precisely while finding words that rhyme with each other is quite a head game! 

I figure songs are just poetry set to music. Can you imagine trying to sing a song that doesn't rhyme? I don't believe I'd care for it. You could write, "I picture in my mind a white Christmas, just like the ones from my past. Where the tops of the trees glistened, and the children strained to hear sleigh bells ringing in the snow." That's very nice, but it lacks something for me. I prefer, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Where the tree tops glisten, and children listen, to hear sleigh bells in the snow."

 The only time I really dislike words are when they're used in a spirit of hatred and bitterness. Words are like a blade. Sometimes it's edge is as smooth as a butter knife, spreading sweet jam over a soft slice of bread. Sometimes it's edge is sharp and jagged, and it tears and cuts the soul of the person they are directed toward. No one should have to hear those words, especially when they're coming from someone you care about. Perhaps that's why I have a hard time expressing my feelings. I fear my words will hurt someone, and I'd rather hurt myself by swallowing the words to spare their feelings.

Well, I suppose the time has come for the words to cease for now, but before I leave you, I would ask a favor of you. Please, think about your words before you use them, and try never to use them to wound, but to heal and cheer. Give words the respect they deserve, and people will respect you for it. Cherish words. Without them, you only have emptiness. Use words. Tell those you love how you feel, lest there come a day when they can no longer hear them... whether you have to speak them or write them down.