Ramblings of a past Introvert

I had a revelation. Actually, I consistently have a revelation. And it is this: words are not meaningless. They are meaningful.

I used to think words were just like substitutes for actions. Instead of slapping someone, you'd call them a swear word. Instead of hugging someone, you'd thank them. But then I realized that words can mean so much more. They can hurt so much more. Nothing more than vibrations of air or ink on a page or pixels on a screen, yet indeed is the pen mightier than the sword. The sword might hack off a limb, but a word can seal off a heart.

They're rather like allergies actually. An odd metaphor, but let me explain myself. It's actually expressed well through a commercial I watched, about an allergy medication. It says "They make your eyes feel like they swallowed a hive of bees, your co-workers avoid you like the plague, your nose leaks like a leaky faucet, but they're just allergies" in the commercial. Same thing with words. A vibration passing through the air that can feel like a knife wound, ink on a page that can make one cry, and pixels on a screen that can make you feel useless to help, but they're just words. Both allergies and words are just things, but both can lead to pain. Maybe even death, because if one goes into an anaphylactic shock and it isn't treated right away, the person can die because of a food allergy. For words, if one is constantly verbally bullied, it's like a mental disease where one questions worth and more importantly, the truth behind the insults.

But my revelation is also a bit more specific. It's not just any word. It's MY words. My words reach other people. My words are listened to. And every day, I just can't believe how lucky I am that other people are listening to my vibrations making their way through the air, reading my pixels on a screen or piece of paper. I knew other's words made their way into my heart. I just didn't expect mine to do the same.