Words Got Me Through
This year hasn’t been easy. I thought about the moments that brought a smile to my face and the times where I felt at peace, hidden away from the constant bombardment of negative news or even just safe to have a big cry and feel all the feels. The one thing that these moments all had in common were words.
Song lyrics that transported me to another time and place.
Lost in fiction that played with and expanded the power of my imagination.
Uncovering new layers of myself, learning how to cope and getting to know myself through journaling and writing.
Shared words of comfort with my barista.
Quotes sent to a friend to brighten their day and words of reassurance, love and support sent across oceans between family and friends.
These are the things that I will remember, from 2021.
In a year where hugs and hand-holding have been few and far between, words have been one of the few tools to show love. After all, words are what make us human. They are what connects us as each other. This year words gave me the resilience to keep going and tackle every change and challenge as it arose.
I went through some major surgery this year and not being allowed visitors in the hospital or at home meant that, once more, words were all I had. They came in the form of cards, notes and carefully selected novels to keep me company in my healing.
I used words to process what I was feeling. They helped when I was losing job after job thanks to the pandemic and did not know when I’d next see my family and friends next. Words allowed me to express myself and peel back the layers until I was able to function once more. They gave me the courage and tenacity to pick myself up and keep going.
Unable to be with my sister for her 30th birthday, words were all I had to share my love and admiration for the woman she has become. Plans were put on hold, put aside, but never forgotten.
I learnt new ways to communicate with my boyfriend who I was in lockdown with for 107 days. Carefully chosen words became our currency, as did carefully chosen silence.
I shared poems with my Mum from a book we both have called The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul. Divided into five categories; Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Motivations, Self-Image and Self-Acceptance, The World and Other People, and Love and Loss – its pages are filled with words from poets including Rumi and Maya Angelou that brought comfort during hard times. It’s the kind of medicine we all need in our lives.
On days when things simply felt too hard, music was a welcome escape. I turned up the volume on the old classics and re-lived my teenage years with some 90’s Pop. I got lost in Taylor Swift albums and soothed myself with the sound of Adele’s long anticipated return. Not to forget the musical and movie soundtracks, never failing to lighten the mood. Dancing in the kitchen, karaoke for one with a smile on my face or tears in my eyes.
I believe in the power of words and their ability to bring calm to chaos. They have the power to heal.
So as the year ends, make time for words. Write down the things that have happened so as not to forget them. Write down your dreams. Listen to words through music. Speak them through song; dance and cry if you need to. Use words to communicate. Share them with the people you love.
Use your words.
They are powerful and full of magic.
They have the power to change.