The Power of Words

Friend, I want to talk today about words, for words have magnificent power.

They have the ability to create alternate realities and universes and to transport us to magical, unreal places.

People who love to read and write are readily aware of this very real power. There is a wonderful moment that occurs when you become so absorbed in a book that the sun will rise and set and you will be oblivious.

Those are wonderful moments until you reach the end of the book and have to leave that world behind. This can feel like an extreme loss. That moment when you have to return to your reality of paying bills, doing the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and doing any other monotonous activities.

We are all aware of the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Most young children hear this saying when they experience bullying for the first time. Friend, I think this is one of the lies perpetuated by our society and discredits the power of words.

If words on the page have the ability to transport us to different places, making us suspend our disbelief, then it stands to reason that words coming from the people around us can have even more of an impact, because they come from people who matter to us.

We forget the impact that we can have on the people around us, especially the magnitude of our words. A simple unexpected hello accompanied by a smile can have an instantaneous positive impact. So too can callous words were spoken without thinking or with anger.

What is worse, is that oftentimes we can believe these misspoken words. They start to become a part of who we are, and how we define ourselves.

Many will argue that you shouldn’t care what others say. You should only be true to yourself. While this is true to a certain degree, friend, it is impossible to live a life completely unaffected by the words hurled at us like torpedoes and I have had enough of clichés that completely fail to recognize the value of the spoken word.

Words can bring you joy and tears. You can be moved by a poem or a song.

Words work their way into the fibers of you, resonating in your skin, almost as important as the genetic code that determines your hair and eye color. Words are our descriptors. When we look into a mirror we hear these words shouted back at us through our eyes with ferocity.

It is not my voice that speaks the loudest, it is yours.

Always,

Your Trusted Friend ❤