Let The Words Come Easier
The other day, I was walking down the street when I came across a rather spectacular little argument. Two men were shouting at each other at the top of their lungs. Apparently, one of them had bumped into a barrel, sending its contents tumbling all over the pavement. A small crowd had gathered, not as you might imagine to help, but to enjoy the free entertainment. Standing beside me was an elderly gentleman. He watched the two men for a moment, shook his head and quietly muttered: “Come on, let’s get on with it” I looked at him. He looked at me. I guess my face said, Go on. There must be more to this. There was. He leaned slightly closer and said: “You know, everything that comes out of the human body stinks.” I wasn't quite sure where this conversation was going. Then he added: “Except words.” I laughed. He continued: “And look what we do with them.” That stopped me. Because he was right. I guess, like most of us, I did not realize it. Words are the only thing we produce that can leave the world smelling better than we found it. And yet, somehow, we have become remarkably talented at using them to do the opposite. We use words to embarrass, to belittle, to win arguments we don’t need to win. To make someone feel small because, for five minutes, making them feel smaller makes us feel bigger. And sometimes we throw a few careless words at someone we love and forget that, unlike a thrown stone, words can keep travelling long after we've walked away. There is something remarkable about language. That same mouth either can say, “You're an idiot,” or it can say, “I'm glad you're here.” The same voice that say, “You'll never get this right,” can say, “I believe you can.” Words can ruin someone's afternoon, different words can also change their entire day. But perhaps the bigger lesson isn't simply to avoid cruel words. **It is to understand what our words can give.** A sincere ‘thank you’, ‘I’m proud of you, or simply letting someone know they matter. A “I'm proud of you.” “I was thinking about you.” “You make things easier for me.” “I haven't forgotten.” “I love having you in my life.” And none of these costs a thing. Yet they can be worth an extraordinary amount to the person receiving them. We tend to think of gifts as things we buy. Perhaps some of the best ones are the words we say. That's one of the greatest gifts of language. It allows us to take something invisible a thought, a memory, gratitude, affection and put it into another person's hands. So maybe, we can pay a little attention to our vocabulary. Not because one needs to become endlessly positive, or every sentence needs to sound like it belongs on a motivational poster. Only because words are powerful, and we don’t want to cast a wrong spell on anybody. Are there any words in your vocabulary that stink? Would you like to get rid of them? Until tomorrow, Bob
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