I am presently reading and really enjoying the wisdom in this book by Christopher Germer. In one chapter, he presents lists of words denoting positive and negative emotions and contrasts their effects. Not surprisingly, positive emotions have been shown to make us happy and negative ones make us suffer: cultivating positive emotions is a compassionate thing to do for ourselves. I was struck by the collective impact of these words on my mood by simply reading them aloud. I have gone back to these pages a few times and the effect is always the same.I love words! I still have the Thesaurus (scuffed, dog-eared, missing a few pages, torn cover) given to me by my grade 7 home room teacher, Mr. Hiscoke. He was big on words and deserves some of the credit for the enthusiasm I still feel when I find just the "right" word to express myself. All this to say, that in reading Germer's lists of emotions, I was reminded of the 10 most beautiful words in the English language prepared by lexicographer, Wilfred J. Funk (son of the founder of Funk & Wagnails, publisher of dictionaries). These words get around. I was first introduced to them in Elizabeth Hay's novel, Late Nights on Air. Here they are, see what you think: hush, dawn, lullaby, murmuring, tranquil, mist, luminous, chimes, golden, melody.
As a bit of an experiment, on occasion I have sat at the bedside of a restless patient and spoken these words aloud, slowly & quietly to see if they soothed. I believe they did have some effect.
This is a beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am struck by words and how they impact on our emotions. Reading these words - hush, dawn, lullaby, murmuring, tranquil, mist, luminous, chimes, golden, melody - makes me feel quiet as I sit here in the early morning of the first Sunday of 2010. I write poetry, so I also see the paradox in the healing effect of negative words - allowing them to well up within us, to surface, to be written in whatever form they take, and then to be shared with others as a means of sharing the healing that their exposure brings. I will share a book with you about mindfulness and poetry.
We are all witness to how words that are deemed neutral to ourselves can be hurtful to others. Because of our experiences, notions, interpretations, we have sometimes attached emotions to words and phrases that others may not be able to anticipate or comprehend - I believe that is a significant part of how communications between people can cause such grief where it is not meant to be. And when the words are written with no sound attached (the voice) and no visual expression (body language), such as in email (which I sometimes curse for this reason) words can sometimes take on meanings unintended and cause fear, hurt, or uncertainty.
I have often thought in palliative care, how words can comfort, such as the ones you have written, just by virtue of their expression. I have toyed with the idea of creating a book in which each page has a beautiful picture , and superimposed on each picture are single words or short phrases from patients, words of wisdom, peace, comfort, love, whatever it is that gives or expresses the beauty that is so often present at the end of life. If you are interested, we can talk...
Many blessings in 2010, Tara.