Word Power

Firstly, I want to state that this is what fiddlehead ferns and sidewalk purselane look like:

They are both fun to say. Fiddlehead ferns. Purselane. That’s the beauty to be found in words.

Anyone ever have a kit of these magnetic words that were/are available at Barnes and Noble; for the refrigerator? Interesting sentences can be made… I used to string together nonsense words, create poems, express woe, etc. etc. Then another person would come along and add their word to the sentence salad.

 
Like this one found randomly online-

 
I used to have great fun with these…

 One can find so-called power words to use in a job resume, as follows:

Power words make a sentence, or resume, stronger. Sometimes there is little difference between applicants for a job, and a strong resume can help you to stand out, or at least make the cut for an interview. Here is a list of power words for a resume for various fields: (skim over them if need be…perhaps like me, these so called power words are difficult when bunched together in the sense that they feel not only boring but like walking up a steep hill. I guess “power” is not my thing.):

• Management Power Words: Built, Demonstrated, Developed, Enhanced, Facilitated, Generated, Impacted, Implemented, Negotiated, Revitalized
• Sales and Marketing Power Words: Closed, Collaborated, Delivered, Drove, Established, Generated, Increased, Presented, Prospected, Retained
• Accounting Power Words: Analyzed, Audited, Justified, Prepared, Processed, Reported, Researched, Reviewed, Verified
• Healthcare Power Words: Assigned, Assessed, Assisted, Cared, Charged, Monitored, Nursed, Provided, Secured
• Technical Power Words: Analyzed, Built, Consulted, Created, Escalated, Formatted, Integrated, Maintained, Programmed, Set up, Supported, Troubleshot
• Academic Power Words: Applied, Authored, Counseled, Developed, Educated, Evaluated, Mentored, Nourished, Researched, Taught, Tutored
• (see link at end of this essay for the site I quoted these power words from…)

I find that list mildly interesting.  Those words almost hurt my brain. Words can hurt too…as too many children can attest:

And then there’s small talk.
So I had an appointment at the eye doctors’ not too long ago. He did see a few changes in my eyes; but nothing to worry about. He told me that my eyes’ changes were the “natural consequence of aging.”

We started talking about a medicine I’d been taking which can lead to eye problems.

“The eyes need careful monitoring when you’re taking this drug, because the side effects can be pretty bad for the eyesight,” he warned me.

“Between aging and the medication,” I quipped, “if longevity doesn’t get me the side effects from the meds will.”

“Now if someone developed a medicine for eternal youth,” he joked, “then neither would be a problem I guess.”

I went on to say, “Actually the side effects from the ‘eternal youth’ medication would probably be horrendous. ‘Take this pill and:

Live forever… however all hair will fall out, seizures will occur hourly and blindness may ensue.

Take this pill and:

Live forever; however fingers will fall off, a lifelong limp will develop, knees will ache endlessly and short term memory will disappear!'”

That’s how it goes. (Insert joke here about medications and the ironically long lists of side effects recounted on TV.) Would screaming help? Probably not. I’m sure Rumi would agree.

Raise your words not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. ~ Rumi

Rain is good for weeds too. I find weeds fascinating. But I digress. From Ransom Riggs’ third book in the Peculiar book series (you’ll be hearing a lot about these books- Tim Burton is making a movie based on them; and it’s going to be as big as Harry Potter):

A heart the size of France! But she couldn’t feel everything with a heart that size; lest she be wrecked.

Yup.

Words are so powerful. They can even be “deeper” than that Superdeep Borehole in Russia– the deepest place on earth…with it’s drill-depth of more than 7.5 miles (12 kilometers). To put that in perspective, Kola descends further than the deepest point of the ocean, which lies at nearly 6.8 miles (11 kilometers). The borehole is located on the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Words can be like that. Either inaccessible, as if they are at the bottom of that deep pit, or so “felt” that they seem to spring from a place very deep in the heart…

Yes WORDS can be that deep.  

They can be shallow too. Of course.

 

Get it? And then there are folks who misuse

to,

two,

and too.

I’m not judging, it’s just a peeve of mine. Another word usage peeve? The tendency to leave the plural off of words. You’ve all heard it. Improper use of plurals. Improper past tense. It’s trending. It really is.

Words are among other things: at times

punny,

funny,

nonsensical,

thoughtful, thought provoking, or

thoughtless and biting.

Have you seen that cartoon where the pronouns get mixed up? I put a link at the bottom of the page…It’s a Looney Tune cartoon where the characters argue about whether or not to ‘shoot me now or wait till we get home’. Whenever my mother (she’s passed away now) were riding in the car with a child in the backseat, inevitably the child would get rambunctious.

My mother would break out her Looney Tunes repertoire. In her cartoon voice she’d joke, “Should we shoot em now or wait till we get home?”

I’d reply enthusiastically, “Shoot em now! Shoot em now!”

(We were joking of course- I guess you’d have to see that cartoon to understand.) Sometimes, in fact many times I was spare with words, but my mother and I had cartoon-speak. Every generation has stored wordgems. Nostalgia can be bittersweet.

There is a giant puppet President’s Race that features big ol’ mascots of former U.S. Presidents at each Washington Nationals home game. The lady behind the maintenance and preservation of these Randy Carfagno Productions NY costumes was interviewed recently on a national news program. She clearly adores her job.

A news woman said to her, “You don’t make puppets. You bring things to life.”

She clasped her hands together and said, “Oh! Oh! That’s the best compliment!”

Words are like that. Some people speak. Some people orate. Some folks write books. Some writers bring words to life. The reporter used words to appreciate and compliment. Sincerely.

Let’s face it, words can feel pretty darn good. Use them wisely.

 

Some words never leave you. Whether menacing or encouraging, bullying words or praise, there are some words like mantras that are remembered for a lifetime…they are spoken and like seeds are planted, send out roots, imbedding themselves in the psyche, only to sprout and demand our attention…like fiddlehead ferns and sidewalk purselane.

SOME WEEDS: boxthorn, fountain grass, lovegrass, rat’s tail grass, bellyache bush, bitterweed, bridal creeper, corky passionflower, dutchman’s pipe, elephant grass, fireweed, hairy senna, kudzu, lippia, mimosa, mysore thorn, neem tree, rubber vine, stinkwort, tropical soda apple, umbrella tree, wandering jew, water soldier, witchweed, yellow fever tree, zebrina!

And now this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LyPFQKpRnd0 (LOONEY TUNES CLIPS)

Speaking of power and words, at this site

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/list-of-power-words-for-a-resume.html