Listen to Jim here:
http://redclaydiary.com/mp3/havinganepitomeontheroadtodamascus.mp3
or read on…
What it is, is words.
The old saw that “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is merely an ironic way of saying the opposite of the truth.
You and I know that words can hurt, maim, destroy, brand, make reality turn on a dime.
A broken bone is nothing compared to a destructive or uncaring word. The bone may heal, but we humans have trouble disremembering what people say to us or about us.
The good news is, healing words have an even more powerful effect—it’s just that we don’t use them enough, we don’t allow them access to our better judgement.
A kindly word, a gentle word, a caring word, an uplifting word—each can change the rotation of the earth when sincerely applied.
Every day, the battle of words goes on around us. It’s important to note the nutty and incorrect usages, too, since this helps us cover over and dismiss those nasty and unkind words swirling about. For instance, a television network interviewer didn’t even notice when his interviewee said, “My life changed back then. I had an epitome.” See what I mean?
It’s been so long since I’ve had an epitome that I’m tempted to travel to Damascus just to see if one jumps out at me. Wonder how the roads are holding up there?
If you hear enough colorful usages, enough disturbing misuses, you’ll just about give up obsessing over the painful words tossed at you. Look for the pony. Indeed, look for the purple five-legged pony—he’ll be much more entertaining and distracting.
Styx and scones may break my attention span, but curds will never hurt me.
In my little home and at my shop, there are dictionaries everywhere—unabridged, collegiate, condensed, enormous, pocket-sized, leatherbound, paperbacked, frazzled, pristine…and the remarkable thing about them is that they all provide different definitions of the same words. If you don’t like a definition, just toss that one aside and look for one that suits you. It’s your life. You’re in charge–even if you would rather not be
