Words

We toil over words like we toil over clothes and hair and how we smell and if others will approve but words much like those other things really don't mean anything. Life makes sure of that. Think of all the "I wish you were dead" stories you've heard in your life. That wasn't what it meant when they said it, not really, but life made sure that the wish was granted nonetheless. Think of all the praise or compliments you get through the day that is dismantled in a back room out of earshot, or just the people you know hate you that always greet you warmly and gush about your look of the day. Then later you hear the truth from your coworker who had lunch with them. Words work for functionality and are pretty necessary for your day to day dealings but, when a tribal vocalist can bring you to tears with guttural sounds and a driving drum beat, it makes you realize that words really are only so important. Don't listen to the woman bitching at you, listen to the pain in her voice that punctuates the words and try to picture where it comes from. Next time you talk to a curmudgeonly senior citizen try to hear the wisdom in their voice. Next time someone spews hate try to see if you can tell if it's actual hate. It could be fear, it could be pain from one bad experience, or it could just be what their support system in life has always told them and maybe they just don't know yet what the truth really is.  More on words later...