WORDS TO LIVE BY

The English language can be so confusing. So can Math but I know better than to try teaching that! Whose idea was it to create words that sound exactly alike, are spelled differently, and have nothing in common? Take for instance sense, cents, and scents. Or write and right, no and know…is there no end to this madness?

Online learning has many of us attempting to teach subjects we haven’t studied for what seems like an eternity. I, for one, haven’t conjugated verbs in years. It’s been a minute since I diagramed sentences or studied history. I’ll even go so far as to admit, when watching The Crown on Netflix, wondering, “Where was I when we studied this in school?”

Recently, I was trying to explain the Greatest Common Factor. What became painfully clear was the fact that the greatest common factor was that neither the student nor the teacher knew what that meant. Don’t even get me started on Science. The last time I saw the Periodic Table was on a pair of socks I gave my grandson for Christmas; he was thrilled. When I asked said grandson where the textbook was for a subject he was studying, I received a blank stare and the reply, “What’s a textbook?” Lord, help us all.

So, if you’re wondering what my word is, here you go…bamboozled…because it means perplexed and it includes the letters b-o-o-z-e. I might just have to take up drinking to get through this.

Who’s with me? Or is it whose?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, it’s football season! When there were rumors there might not be a football season this year, I threatened to renounce my citizenship and move to Canada. Although that sounds drastic, that’s how much I like football. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.

During a regular season, I watch football every Sunday, all day long. I’ve also been known to watch college football all day on Saturday. And, thankfully, there are games on Monday and Thursday nights to tide me over until the weekend rolls around again. In the off-season, I watch reruns of games despite the fact I already know the outcome. Although football used to be considered a guy’s game, I’m proud to say women can be just as rabid when it comes to their football.

If you want to learn more about football, I recommend reading any of the gazillion books written about the gridiron. Better yet, many teams offer day-long workshops that explain the game: first downs, extra points, and the oft controversial ‘pass interference’ call, just to name a few. I encourage you to learn as much as you can about the greatest show on turf.

What I DO NOT recommend is deciding to learn about football during a Chiefs vs Broncos game when the score is 14-14 with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It might be best to save those burning questions until the next commercial!

Are you ready for some football?

I am a lover of words.

I have a file stuffed full of syllables strung together to create pearls of wisdom – quotes, words, poems, and proverbs that resonate with my soul. I often retrieve the file when I’m trying to find just the right message to convey my feelings. I’ve been collecting these pearls of wisdom for years; the file represents a half-century of my appreciation for the written word.

I’ve decided to share my special words with you; I’m hoping you will do the same. Words can be beautiful, elegant, precious – the first “mama” or “dada,” “I love you” from a partner, the text late at night that reads, “I miss you.” Can you feel your heart melting?

In reality, not all words are sugar and spice. There are words that strike terror in the heart of the receiver. Many words have multiple meanings and there are words that never come close to expressing our sentiments. Sometimes there is truth to the saying, ‘There are no words.’

Some words harden hearts and leave irreparable scars. Those who’ve been bullied, berated, or betrayed know exactly what I mean. Those words are rarely forgotten and often impossible to forgive. Can you feel your heart hurting?

My hope is that this blog will give us an opportunity to share our words and give voice to the importance of those words in our lives. And so, I will start…

Kindness and graciousness are words I do my best to live by. Although, technically, two words, I consider them one in the same. In the midst of a difficult discussion or situation, those words resonate in my head and heart. Even when someone is accusing or criticizing, I try to focus on kindness and graciousness. I want to leave the discussion with my head held high, knowing I remained true to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I think plenty of curt responses, but, over a lifetime, I’ve learned to curb my sarcasm and wicked wit, albeit a work in progress for sure.

What are your words?