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You are the Sunlight (Soap) of my Life
Brr, June. You made me dig out the warm fuzzy socks and snuggly sweaters. Is this normal? It doesn’t feel right to me. I don’t remember hearing the faint hum of the furnace at this time of year in the past. Every time I hope to get outside and do something in the back forty or hike along the Trail, the rain, the chill winds and the grey skies come along and I retreat to the warmth of the couch. Thanks Spring!
And speaking of something that just doesn’t feel right, do any of you ever get the feeling it wouldn’t matter what you say or do, someone will criticize and question your action or your words or your intentions? Yep, me too. And, quite often those criticisms are fast, furious, bitter, mean and nasty. What the H E double edged hockey sticks is that all about? I get it, sometimes people say or do things that could have been softened with a bit of a filter. But, seriously kids, every single thing a person says or does these days ends up on the block or in someone’s self-righteous crosshairs. I find it all exhausting. I used to think I didn’t have any internal dialogue, but I won’t win any prizes in an internal dialogue competition against some of the world’s finest. And the “friendly fire” is often the most harsh. It is tempting to use our own hurt, sadness, misfortune, or past experiences as an excuse to be disrespectful of others. To some extent, each and every one of us is afraid, overwhelmed, tired, broke, sad, stuck or in pain. I am working on taking a step back from situations I don’t understand or agree with.
And when did it become offensive to use the appropriate words? I was admonished by a social media gatekeeper for my correct usage of the words “murder, rape, dead, pedophile, sex, stupid, uneducated and abused” (not all in the same post or comment, by the way, I’m not a psychopath). When did those words become bad words? Why does a person have to write “unalived” instead of “dead” or “segs” instead of “sex” or put asterisks in spaces to replace letters in the new flock of bad words. Like a lot of all y’all, I’ve become used to hearing the really, really “bad” words in everyday conversation and in online videos. You know the words I mean! If you know me, and you don’t, I’ve been known to pepper many of my conversations with a few of the really, really bad words, off and on. You know, the words you might have tried out as a kid, your mother heard you and you were treated to a bar of Sunlight Soap. Yep, those words. But those Sunlight Soap words are now acceptable, especially if they’re shouted angrily or included in a joke—just don’t mention any of the really offensive words like “dead” or “abused” or “sex”. Those words are really offensive, apparently. So, go on, put a bumper sticker on your vehicle telling the world to have segs with the Prime Minister. The “F” word is just fine.
Here I am. I’m still confused. The weather is confusing and now I’m casting around for the right words which are, to the best of my knowledge, just all of the bad words, but I’m not sure. Is Sunlight Soap still available on the store shelves? Maybe, instead of wearing my “Bacon and Barbells” tank top or my “Fat Ass” race shirt (both of which offended a few people) I’ll get me one of those pale pink sweatshirts with an image of an elephant calf skipping down a dusty roadway—no words. I won’t even mention how “effin” ridiculous it is for a grown person to think an elephant of any size could skip or jump because I know someone would be deeply offended to learn the truth. I might tiedye a shirt around an image of a bar Sunlight Soap. Everyone will know I’ve got bad words to say.
Yep, it’s a confusing world out there. Imma pour me a cuppa Joe, stay inside, read a book and check my tie-dye stash.
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