Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Just Musing on Words...

Aren’t words great? They help us to communicate and express ourselves; they can be used as healers and they can be used as weapons; they can be used to plan for our future and they can be used to document our past. They can be thought, written, coded, decoded, whispered, uttered, sang, or even screamed.

If we mar them and they turn up being flawed, they can be fixed. They can be neglected, misused, or forgotten, but they can also be revived and easily corrected. They can be revered and applauded or passed over and excused.

Sometimes very few words may mean much and tomes of words may mean little. The worst is when the words that come to us is not enough to say what we feel. James Earl Jones said: "One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.”

Yet, the words and the way we use them may be roads to success or to downfall. They may be used persuasively or incompetently. With words, we may soar or stumble.

Words may reawaken reality and encourage discovery. Words may capture fleeting memories and let us hold on to a bit of infinity. Words may mean encouragement, mercy, forgiveness, and love, but they may also downgrade, scorn, and wound.

Since Valentine's Day is just about to appear at the horizon, another quote comes to mind concerning words and love. "Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.” I guess that means words are only a little less important than the person we love the most.

If imagination and ideas are our minds’ nutrition, then words encapsulate and offer that nutrition to us. Words may photograph our insides and show others the rich variety of perception, interpretation, expression, and experience we possess.

While their presence can be delightful, their absence -when it matters- can be a balm. Shakespeare said: "When words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain.” He probably had the wordy writers in mind.

After I have mused over the importance of words, I can’t help but remember this quote. “The only place where 'success' comes before 'work' is the dictionary.”