Words

After visiting with a courageous and successful co-worker, I pondered the depth of damage done by words uttered decades past, that when recalled, still smart with the sting of their deliverance.

In memories deep within our conciousness, the restatements, word-for-word, can be recalled with vivid realism and the emotional connection felt once again. 

In other memories, words surface  that have fallen from our own lips, and we yearn for the impossible, the ability to suck razor-sharp utterances back into our own mouths.

Perfection from either angle is impossible, but improvement can be measured not only in our ability to censor language that offends and hurts others, but also in our ability to dismiss words, intentional or unintentional, aimed in our direction with a sensitivity that separates syllable from soul.