#4 Words!

When I was a maintenance man, I picked up a little trick that helped me with the crappy jobs I had to do. And when I say crappy, I mean that literally. I had to do the gross jobs like unclogging toilets, cleaning hair out of drains, and wrestling with stubborn bolts. Needless to say, I know tough jobs. But somewhere down the line, I learned to start rambling as a way to keep myself relaxed. I would hurl jovial insults at the dishwasher that refused to work, asking it why it had to be such a jerk. I would coax the garbage disposal into place, saying if it went where it should, I would give it a cookie. I realized that words were an excellent way to capture positivity. 

It all starts with a word. I’ll let you pick your favorite one. Shop around for weird words that you have a hard time saying without laughing. If you can’t decide on one, don’t worry! Create a list! Among my own are:Beedo

Periwinkle

Dank.

But my all-time favorite is the word “nifty.” It’s not something everyone uses these days, so it catches most people off-guard when I say it. On top of which, it just feels…weird. It doesn’t feel like something you should proclaim with ecstatic excitement, so when I shout it in the middle of a crowded room, I can’t help but laugh a little. My other go-to is the word “he.” I am bursting into fits of laughter just writing this. Something about the word “he,” when said on its own, creates an inescapable laughter that wells up from the inner depths of my soul. 

Some words are like that. We just can’t say them without getting a little giddy. It may take you a bit to mess around with this, but you’ll find your own word in due time. If you’re really struggling, I’d suggest you go out on a limb and watch some of Cartoon Network’s adventure time. Those guys have some really funny lines. But it doesn’t have to be the most outrageous line you’ve ever heard. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be that original. For a while, I would simply gasp and shout “rude!” 

Take some time to ramble a bit and see what sticks for you. Sit in your car in traffic and go off on the car in front of you. Maybe your favorite place is the shower, yelling at the shampoo bottles. Wherever you feel most comfortable, just start talking. You’ll know when something sticks because you’ll find yourself saying it over and over again. Don’t be shy or embarrassed if it sounds goofy or weird. After all-that’s the point! Just make sure it’s appropriate if you need to be in the right crowd. 

As time passes, you’ll develop your own way of rambling. If it hasn’t already, it will start coming naturally to you. Now I ramble on command. As soon as my body feels the tension kicking in, my lips get looser. It’s a very strange feeling-sometimes I’ll suddenly start hearing my thoughts out loud! (I often fear these moments, but thankfully I’m yet to say anything too stupid.) In no time at all, you will goof your way off through situations that used to drive you up the wall, and laugh your way through things that once scared you. 

But don’t think of this skill as a quick-fix for all your troubles. A rough day may still be a rough day. But give it time, and the effects of stress will start to lessen. It will take some practice and a conscious effort to change, but it will take you from “ugh, why is this sock on the floor?!” to “why hello there, little buddy! You’re a little lost, aren’t you?” I have even gotten to the point where I don’t mind unclogging toilets (though, I still mind having to fix anything in a ladies restroom. I still have nightmares about the stubborn women I have met over the years.) 

My point is that a word or phrase can be an excellent, tangible way to arrest the momentum of negativity and stress. Picking a word to shout is like pumping the brakes on a downward spiral. I like it because it doesn’t take a lot of effort to get started. I barely even have to focus on how I say it. I just blurt it out and off we go to a better day! Take some time to play around with this idea. This is the first time I am offering this advice to anyone else, so I’d be curious to know if this has worked for you, or if it’s just me. Either way, I pray you continue to develop the means to wield silliness as your weapon against darkness, learning to act goofy as a way to keep yourself from getting stuck in the miry swamp of ick. I pray for your journey forward.

And until next time

May Peace be your guide.