Simple things, words are. They are often taken lightly but therein lies their weight. Words offer a means to meaning, and for those who listen, the enunciation of truth is revealed to them. Words will always retain their power, even when they are long said, long forgotten. Words… words are the bare essence that signify emotion and thought, because every time the cogs and wheels offer up from the machinery in your brain, words come out. With as much vim and vigor as the metallic clangs of the mechanical motion in your mental factory, words send out reverberations whose impact you can’t fathom; like a dew drop in a bottomless pit.
Thank you. Gratitude. Very sincere words these are; the verbal equivalent of a high five, a pat on the back or a bear hug. It shows appreciation for kind words and kind actions to close friends, colleagues, that waiter that served you well, that stranger that cheered up your morning on your way to work or gave you a simple compliment, or tapped you to pick up that crumpled fifty bob note that fell off your pocket … God knows that was your fare back home. It shows that there is a beating heart behind every man and woman you meet. It has the power to clear worried frowns and tease out a toothy smile from the most granite faced of us. It shows a kindness that only we can show others. It is the save button for happiness, that easels happiness and props you up for round two, more kindness to others or more expectation for future disappointment.
I love you. The strongest declaration of affection on earth. Contrary to lay beliefs, it is not a preserve phrase for lovers, though they stake a huge claim to it. It is more than a declaration of warm fuzzy feelings when you are in the presence of someone else, how you get butterflies or goose bumps when you feel their presence, it goes deeper. It means that you have been let in to the dark recesses of their soul, that they allow you to see the good, bad and downright ugly of their souls. It is the green light at the stop sign outside their heart, that place that you have been parked at waiting for the lights to change. It shows trust that they can give you, a reckless drunk, their egg of a heart to carry despite the high risk that you could stagger straight to the next wall or pavement and plaster it all over. They trust you to walk through the sewers and meadows in their lives, and expect you not to judge them. It is the verbal equivalent of the play button, that easels hope and props one for round two, a happily ever after or serious heartbreak.
I am sorry. An apology. It acknowledges responsibility by virtue of “I”. When said at the right time with a sincere heart and those puppy eyes, it can have the effect of calming a raging tsunami to a mild dust storm. It stops tempers dead in their tracks and hangs guilt on a noose. It shows a penitent heart; one that recognizes a deviation and seeks to walk back from that path. It dries up hot tears and reduces heavy sobs and wails to snivels. Said right, it levels any mountain to an ant hill; an ant hill so easy to walk over. Speak it lightly and everything else from your mouth hangs on a parachute of question marks in a vacuum, meaningless and weightless, never to hit the ground. It is the silent and often overlooked verbal equivalent of the reset button, that easels broken trust and props it up for round two, redemption or more betrayal.
These might not be all the important phrases in the world, but each of those gets us through the day and night. Say them often to those who deserve to hear those words, you never know what chain reaction you have started. Say these words and say them right, mean them. It might seem like a small endeavor but even an ocean is not an ocean without that one drop. These words give us that extra push, that extra reason to want to see tomorrow. They encourage us to step out and smell the flowers, enjoy the different colors and discover why the sky is blue. It does not matter if the outcome is disappointment, heartbreak or betrayal for tomorrow. Today redemption, kindness and happiness have been achieved and we savor the burst on sunlight fresh on our faces. Get through today, tomorrow can wait.
donmu2ua 