Having parents who were teachers by vocation, and especially an English teacher for a dad, vocabulary was important and even now he uses words that I just do not understand.  I try, Dad, I really do.  So most times, I use words that mean something to everyone.  Telling a co-worker that she looks nice today is understood in its simplest forms.  Those few words say so much more, though.  They say that I noticed that she was wearing something different or that a particular color looks really nice on her.  It makes her smile and feel good and that is what we should intend with the words we choose.  Words can hurt and even the most sincerest of words to express remorse are not enough.  I used to work with someone who always seemed to start a conversation with something negative and that was something I surely noticed right away.  Even when the words that were used hurt and were mentioned in a conversation, it didn’t seem to matter.  What kind of words do you use?  Are there words that you find easier NOT to say because you are afraid to say what you feel?  If I hurt someone with the words I have chosen, I try to say sorry as well.  But I prefer to focus on the words we can use to boost someone up…to lift spirits…to get us to believe.  I find myself in quandaries when I feel like I have to censor my words and cannot truly say what  I want to say.  But not just what I want to say…have to say.  Sometimes, after the fact, I will have second thoughts about something that I might have shared with someone else that maybe I wish I could take back.  Not because it was bad, but because I was real.  There was feeling and truth in the words I shared and sometimes that can be scary.  Laying it all out there, leaving yourself exposed and feeling raw, and being vulnerable.  Are you choosy with the words you use, especially with those you love?  What about with complete strangers?  What would you say if something you said to me changed my life forever?  Has that happened to you before?  I have seen it and I have felt it.  The words we choose can do amazing things and we should never take that for granted as those few syllables may be what changes everything.

Michelle Homme 2012 ©