Saturday, December 3, 2011

The flow of words


Words are like all the oceans and rivers in the world, like the rain and snow. They are insubstantial in a way; they can become solid, as these on this page are, or they can be flowing, as in a song or rhyme, or they can dissolve into the air. They can come crashing against you or knock you down. They can erode trust and love, as water can erode a cliff. They can soothe and heal and cleanse.

There are always more words to choose from and rearrange as you wish, and you can produce more and more new combinations until you're too old to remember how to do it, if you live that long.

Make choices when you use words. . . . Speak from your heart and your thoughts, not from your hurts or your fears. Use your words for good, for nurturing. Use your words to protect the peace of your home. Keep your words to yourself sometimes, but other times be so courageous that you put some words out there as a warning and a fence between you and those who wish to harm you with their own outflow of dangerous words.

Don't waste your words.

Build gifts from words.

from "Words" in The Big Book of Unschooling
photo by Jessica Sexton, of Gioia Cerullo and Kirby Dodd,
in San Diego, September 2011

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3 comments:

  1. Wow, Sandra. That piece of writing is something I am going to carry in my mind every moment of every day. Can I share it, and link it back to here?

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  2. Sure, Karen. You can quote anything I ever write. A link back would be great. Thanks!

    Glad you like it, Paige. :-)

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  3. I loved this! I want everyone I know to read this!! I want to print it off and post it on the fridge, the bathroom mirror, the desktop,etc.. because creating words, even those you keep to yourself in your own head, is something we should always do with great care and consideration. THANK YOU!

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