What Do Words Mean To You???

What do Words Mean to You???
Words, my life has been held together by words. For as long as I can remember, words have been my refuge, my inspiration, my comfort, my breath. Words are powerful, words are magic, they can take you anywhere, show you anything; but they also have the power to hurt and harm, they are potent and can be abused, they can scar. The words we endlessly whisper in our own minds, that we aren’t even always aware of, be they nourishing or destructive. Language is alive and vital but it’s how we use it that’s important.
Some of my first memories are being read to as a child in the endless, lonely nights of earaches, tummy aches, in the silent dark, just you two in the whole world; the soothing, soft voice of mum weaving this spell in the long night, this journey that lulled the pain and fear as you lost yourself in the world the words spun around you, sinking dreamily into this other place. From the earliest days I was hooked, from the first earliest readings out loud, before I could even recognize words for myself, the first nursery rhymes and poems, fables and fairy stories that fed and grew my imagination; the mesmerising Moomintroll tales, read aloud by the light of a paraffin lamp in electricity power cuts, the wintry magical world in the flickering flame of shadowy rooms, listening, spellbound, to being able to read by myself, I was awed by the power and magic of words to create worlds, people, emotions, I still am, even as I work to make my own voice tell its tales, I am struck by this strange force that unspools inside the heart and mind to gather these marks together to communicate, to express something, to create something; this force is limitless, you can turn in and in and just keep going, the ways of memory and knowledge, mixed with imagination is unending. There is so much to explore, to learn, to read, to create, to express. As obsessive writer and reader, language is my blood, my oxygen, my life. I love it and the variety and depth of writing out there always fascinates, inspires and moves me; so many people writing, sharing all kinds of stuff, you need never be alone, never be at a loss, there is writing for everyone, for all moods, there is something for every emotion, every moment of your life.
I can’t even remember learning to read, it seems so long ago, I just remember being read to and then reading along. There has never been a time when I have not read, been obsessed with books, with reading and writing. Discovering new writers is always exciting, when you recognize something in them, respond to something they are communicating it’s just wonderful and I always explore new things, while following known passions already rooted over years of reading. I still have many of the books I loved as a child, they are part of me and they are precious, they take me back to when it all began, when this wonderful world waiting, opened up to me and I tumbled in never to return. Then all the discoveries you make as your reading progresses and you find one thing after another, one writer leads to another and your world widens and deepens, grows bigger and bigger; you learn and question and find things out, realizing the things that prey on your mind have preyed on others too; that is a wonderful moment, when you first read something that truly resonates and your heart leaps, it feels like this writer knows you, knows how life is and you are not alone. The realization that you too can make your words mean something, make something, is very powerful and the first time someone responds to something you have written is very special. Reading and writing has always been a refuge and a release to me, somewhere I can lose myself, be myself, express and explore myself. It is all things, good and bad, but something that you own, claim for yourself and no one can ever take it away.
Words to Ponder…….
What do words mean to you? Have you used any words today that you regret, that you wish you could take back? Or have you not said something you wish you had and now it’s too late? Have you read or written anything today that really touched you or spoke to you? What is the dominant dialogue going round in your head right now?? Become more present and aware of words used and heard around you, how they make you feel, how others use them.

Drift,dream,imagine.Up is down, sky is where you walk around.