Words

Lately, I've been thinking that words are like money in the sense that we can either foolishly waste them or hoard them like misers. As a writer, I love to play with words but I admit that I am often guilty of using twenty words when a few would do just fine. I attribute that to the fact that I am the second youngest in a family of five girls and often got lost in the shuffle of my big noisy clan when I was growing up. You had to use a lot of words before anyone would pay attention to you. I did learn that funny words were acknowledged, so it didn’t take long for me to assume the role of the family clown. I could be pretty darn funny when I wanted to be heard.

When I hang around my two year old grand niece, Zae, I am reminded that sometimes less is more. She can fully convey a meaning and get all of her needs met with a few choice words.

“Bunny!” she commands when she wants me to read her favorite bed time story. When I make an animal noise to amuse her, she wrinkles her nose and levels me with an appraising stare before voicing her approval, “You bein’ funny!” Sometimes she will abandon words all together and simply grab me by the legs and push me towards the kitchen when she wants a snack. The loving adults in Zae’s life are constantly encouraging her to use her words, but personally, I enjoy her adorable though primitive communication methods. Soon enough, she’ll probably be using her words to argue and talk back.

Few of us realize much less appreciate the full scope of our innate creativity. Our words are the artist's tools that enable us to create a unique and authentic life. Just a single word can be incredibly effective.  The word “Yes” can open up new opportunities, just as the word “No” can block us from realizing our full potential. When Zae’s older brother Kai was two, he often used the time honored Socratic method to stimulate profound discussions simply by asking “Why?”

Words combined with powerful emotions can actually affect the molecular structure of water. (Check out Dr. Masuru Emoto’s groundbreaking work in “The Hidden Messages in Water”) Words of gratitude can  keep us focused on our blessings in the face of adversity while worry and negativity serve to bog us down in a perspective of lack. Careless words spoken in the heat of the moment have been known to cause long standing family rifts. Just as damaging are the unspoken words which so often can lead to hidden resentment and false assumptions. And let us not forget the power of those three little words that we all long to hear, "I love you!"

We are all taught to speak, but rarely are we taught how to listen. One of the most loving and compassionate things we can do is to give an individual the benefit of our full attention when he/she needs to be heard. As a chaplain working in a hospital setting, I’ve learned that there are some situations in which words are useless. At those times, an empathetic touch or a look can convey more comfort than a thousand words.

No matter what language we speak, the ability to communicate our thoughts and words is a huge responsibility and a gift which we mostly take for granted once we get past our early childhood. Learning how to use words is really not all that different from learning how to handle money. The trick is to know how to spend them wisely and when to save them up for a rainy day.