Today I am reflecting on communication and the power of words. Talking and writing. Two forms of communication that are so interwoven into our daily existence that it is easy to overlook just how powerful they are in creating our worlds. In my experience, talking, particularly speaking directly from the heart, is something that has not come easily to me. Even simple things like calling a stranger to ask for information or asking more questions at the doctor’s office to clarify a diagnosis, or asking for help in any form is something that I have resisted most of my life. That somehow I should have already known the answer or figured it out or not had the right to belong to whatever world words required of me to interact with the situation at hand. And these are basic levels of communication, stuff that has a pretty low level of risk. Add to that mix speaking to loved ones about things that are close to my heart and I have found a myriad of ways over the course of my life to avoid such endeavors.
And yet, here I am, writing to you. Sharing what is on my mind and in my heart, each week since 2020. And for me, this has been an extraordinary kind of alchemy. It has given my words a space to exist safely and freely. It has taught me how to speak. And not just through the written word but also directly both with strangers and with those I love. This format of the weekly Friday Letter has provided the practice space in which to define and refine this power of using my words. I am very grateful.
When I think back to the spring of 2020 and how I begun these letters as a side project to keep myself connected to you, the community of friends and family I knew through art, I had no idea that it would reveal to me my love of writing. What was started as an emergency measure has become a pillar to my world. I see just how powerful words can be in connecting us to one another. They have the power to create connection, to ease suffering, to illuminate what is possible. It is a power each of us has access to everyday in every moment, and the impact of speaking directly from the heart cannot be underestimated.
Until next Friday!
Be well, breathe, read, and make some art!
Jen