“the pen is mightier than the sword”

well, of course it is. the sword was created for one thing only, to destroy. the pen…words can both destroy or create. words can contain incredible power. words can be used to decimate, dominate, debilitate & bring you to your knees. and once you’ve hit the floor, some words can then pound you into it. words can trigger fear which can cause fight or flight, but without strength, nor wings to fly, i suppose i’d prefer the sword.  words can bring joy, love, trust. words spoken with great wisdom, can also bring you to your knees, in awe.

i suppose we were all born like this monkey. our parents spoke babble, then words of love. then words to teach. school takes us further,  giving us the tools to survive in this world. does it end there? is this as high as we can go?

no.

“What do you read, my lord?” Polonius asks.

“words, words, words” answers Hamlet

the musician combines words with notes that can resinate with incredible power. the screenwriter can use words to tell powerful stories & directors use those words & give them visual power. words made into movies. some can be powerful enough that you can, “walk in another man’s shoes.” the writer or storyteller will prove there is magic in this world. the storyteller can take us out of time & place, we can travel, see sights. we can be brave & powerful to battle evil or show you what real love is.

i surround myself with all these words. given to me by amazing artists. i look for meaning in every word i read in books, or listen to in movies or while i dance across my living room (usually with a dusting cloth). i have found wisdom in unlikely places.

 

when i wish to escape my life for a time, i read historical fiction. the author must have the architecture, the clothing, the weather, the landscape, everything right, so that i can see it…the words must be right to take me there. the story may focus on human beings, but if i know not where they stand, then my imagination cannot take me there. the words must weave magic. i search for words to inspire me, lend me strength, courage & humor. i look for words to teach me how to speak with whit-quick & sharp. i steal these things. i try to apply them to my own life. to become more than what i am.

more than what i am. i have read thousands of books  i’ve always been a compulsive reader…the kid who reads every word on the cereal box. that is me. i am grateful for this thirst, whether they be fiction or not.  i read the manual tucked into the seat in front of my own, when i take flight-for real. i read the poster on the dentist office wall, “Hang in there” with the orange tabby kitten hanging on to the branch. i know other people are searching for answers too. people have quotes taped around their desks at work. words that had some how lifted them when they need/needed to be. words that lift their spirit, perhaps give them courage or wisdom…like the words, “if life gives you lemons…i forget the rest (jk).

i have a favorite by a little known author…

“The world breaks everyone and afterword many are strong at the broken places” ~Ernest Hemingway

some words spoken with rage or hate…can they be washed off? Hate, racism, sexism, sexual orientation, mean words…can we ever wash them off? i think they become part of who we think we are. we make the choice to take the in words. just like the lyrics of a love song, or a favorite author’s quote. words add up inside of us & make us who we are. WHO WE ARE. present tense. because yesterday there were fewer words read or heard & tomorrow, there will be more. if you are smart enough to search for them.

when the anger is over, when we are alone. we could learn to reinvent our new self today. how do you cover up those wounds caused by words of another?

well, that would depend on who you are today.

last night i watched Sherlock again (too many times to admit) oh, what John Watson says to Mary, “The problems of your past are your business, the problems of your future…are my privilege” swoon. to be loved like that. or to love like that…some days we own it, others we feel lost. they are moments linked together, our own stories, of being knocked down & then pulling ourselves back up.

today i found memories in music. i found joy. “dance a blue streak across the living room” i forgot the name of the song (sorry brilliant man) every time i hear this line, in his song…i see me, younger. i am holding one of my babies, i am singing while the babe in arms is laughing…and drooling. i liked who i was then. we danced a blue streak across the living room.

today, i danced.

today, i woke up my teenage daughter by diving into her bed with my iPhone playing an Ed Sheeran song, (UNI) until she begged me to stop. but i stood fast, demanding that i end my serenade with Ed’s final words of sad wisdom. i timed them perfectly. her head buried under heavy blankets (in august, in alabama) i tell her i have to end it on a perfect note (ha! a pun!) i snuggle close & sing with him…

“because if you want, i’ll take you in my arms (i did) & keep you sheltered from all that i’ve done wrong (lots) & i know you’ll say that i’m the only one, but i know that God made another one of me to love you better than i ever will…” 😦

“Geez, Soph, no one will love you better than i ever will…they will love you different, than i ever will”

“Ugh, get out, Mooooooooom!!!”

i thought it was a great way to wake her up (brat). she has seen me low. all my children have. they’ve seen my face covered with a book and a nook and an iPad. they’ve seen me on my knees, but they’ve watched me get up over & over again.

 

 

words harm & they heal. words that when heard at the right time, in the right place…they can change you. we can decide to become stronger, we can decide to look for courage. we can look for validation. or we can choose to stop growing as a person & believe that this is all we will ever be.

not a bloody chance.