But They Are Only Words

We communicate in various ways; both verbal and non-verbal. Ultimately, the vast majority of our daily adult communication with other people involves words.

Words are funny things. They have no real value in and of themselves. They are, after all, merely a juxtaposition of letters that have come to be accepted by society as representative of something; whether animate or inanimate. We further juxtapose those words into phrases and sentences to form ideas, concepts and descriptions of our lives and the world around us.

But they are only words.

We use that collection of juxtaposed letters and words to interact with the world. My fingers glide over the keyboard; gently clicking various keys in a particular order to form the words used to share my thoughts and feelings with anyone who stumbles upon this blog. I use this collection of words, at times, to bare my soul. At other times, I use it to share memories from my past. Whatever the topic of the day, I use words to convey meaning.

But they are only words.

As kids, we used to chant the catchy phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." There is some truth to that. The same word may bring pain or joy depending on many things, so it's not the word itself that carries the weight. It is, after all, only a word. It is really not the words themselves, but how we use the words that bring healing or cause pain.

I've been guilty of both bringing healing and causing pain with my words at times. I can be so careful in my selection of words at one moment and so careless the next. It's easy to say that it's no big deal either way because they are only words, but I thrive on juxtaposing letters into words and words into phrases and sentences.

Writing this blog gives me an outlet, but it also provides a safety valve in that I can edit, rewrite or delete completely any word, phrase or entire blog entry that doesn't convey my thoughts as I had intended. For every blog entry that makes it to the publication point, there are several others that I am working on, have deleted or simply decided not to flesh out yet. I have the luxury of time to make sure I have chosen the right words.

Communicating is so much more than the words we use.

It is a reflection of the heart.

Even if they are only words.