Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been fascinated with words. Though the first word I wrote would not be a harbinging for those that would follow, it did introduce me to how even a single word can tell an entire story.
The word I wrote was SHIT.
Yup. I was four years old, living in “The Pomona House” with three moms and four kids. It was the older two, of course, who taught me how to write. On the front of my dresser drawer. In permanent ink.
And this is how I learned it:
S = you’re going for a walk on a curving path
H = then you cross a bridge
i = starts to rain
T = so you open an umbrella
I guess we weren’t concerned about capitalization.
Being the super visual person that I am, I could literally see (and still can) said path. It was in a very nice walking park, with grass on each side and fancy wooden bridges. Too bad it started to rain, but I was prepared!
And thus began my love for writing. Even though that story wasn’t very developed, it created a bridge inside me linking words with imagination and story, before I even knew the alphabet. Seeing each individual letter as part of a story gave me a sense of their power, even then.
We can use our words any way we like. We can use them like swords cutting to the truth…or that just cut. They can be used to cut away things in our way as we blaze new trails inside and around us, or to keep the outside world at bay. We can use them to build bridges of understanding and connection, or we can use them to knock down bridges and sever connections.
And of course, we can use our words to create entire, imagined worlds. To mold like clay the way we see others, ourselves, our past, our future. Words are magical, alchemical elements. And sometimes, they can be just words - it’s up to us!
It is our choice how we use our words, and what words we choose to use.
I have spent my life writing words. As many as I can in a language with only 26 letters. I have spent my life writing stories - some that make me feel good, and others that don’t. In the last few years, I have been using words more intentionally - seeing pen and sword as interchangeable in the power they wield.
Supporting humans who want to explore how words can tell stories and transform us in the process is one of my greatest gifts to offer the world.
So even though it started with “shit” it certainly won’t end there! As a matter of fact, my next offering is called Love Notes.