Words, moments that shape us.
When I was 6 my uncle used to take me on Thursdays to a coffee house (Our Men’s outing) and of course, it was a joyous event for me as I was allowed to have a cake and hot chocolate, and we would discuss “serious” events. One time he gave me a watch, a simple timepiece, with the explanation: “Now you have no excuse to ever be late”. Of course, during my life I went through the phase of trying to do too much and being late until one day it dawned on me that being late was stealing someone else’s time, and have tried to honor that reality. Conversely, It has also manifested in my life that if someone is late, I politely advise them that the only thing we cannot replace is lost time and we should be aware of this and respectfully not steal this from others.
On one of these “Men’s outings,” I remember saying “I love this hot chocolate!” My Uncle turned to me and asked – would you die for it? I was flummoxed at the question. Of course not, why do you ask? He explained to me that as I get older, I will find many words that express liking, being fond of, and enjoying something, but I should be aware that words carry weight. Love should remain such a word. Now decades after the event I sometimes think my uncle was a little austere for a 6-year-old but recognize that he offered me something precious. Words matter and carry meaning. Their overuse can result in platitudes and debases both the word and the recipient.
My mother had a quote on our porch, which read, “Swearing is indicative of a lack of vocabulary”. Which drives one to expand ways of expressing oneself.
Where am I going with this, basically rambling, just sharing thoughts? A smile matters words matter, and a kind gesture matters. I was with my daughter at a gathering of her peers and the language was terse at times. No one in the group was offended nor affected by the slights, or vulgarities imparted towards each other. It saddened me. Overuse removes impact or indeed value. You may choose to reflect on this, as we listen to pundits and actors bastardizing language that should serve a higher good.
Overuse has also affected the use of antibiotics, and hence I have been so evangelical in bringing our Honey for Healing ® Manuka Honey as a wound cream to the market. The bee’s clever blending of pollen and secretions has outwitted bacteria for millennia! Our UMF +15 as a nonperoxidal substance does not kill skin cells but lets them heal mostly leaving the broken skin scar free after months of repigmentation. (i.e. a wound may show a redness once healed for a time.)
I would urge every household to have a tube ready in the home as a wound cream. Why? Because it works. Cuts (in the kitchen, garden), razor/road rash, (what kid has not fallen off a bike, etc.) all heal well. Also the 15% Manuka Honey plumps the epidermis keeping the skin moist for healing and precluding infection.
See you next edition, Good on ya/Thanks for reading.
Gjoko