Say What?

                                                            SAY WHAT?

You begin life with only the ability to cry, gurgle, and perhaps make some other indistinct sounds. As an infant you quickly learn that body language can substitute for the absence of language skills. Next you learn the power of the simple word NO. So many ways to use NO to voice your concerns. At pre-school level, the spoken word becomes the number one form to communicate; utilizing body language for emphasis. Bi-lingual children have a distinct advantage with twice the opportunity for making themselves understood. As education progresses, the written word gains importance. Our world expands from the community into a global situation.

I grew up in a small town, with limited travel, and without any global awareness. The levels of communication were quite simple.There was talking, whispering, silence, yelling, bullhorns, sirens, written words via letters, notes, magazines, books, sign language, photographs, sky writing, and the telephone. Not to be forgotten, the two tin cans and a string. Let's also not forget the unspoken communication called “The Look”. That stare bestowed on a child for some misdeed was a clear, clear communication. No words were ever needed to know you were in some sort of trouble. My father was a master of that look. Well into my twenties he still had the capacity to stop me cold with that look. It was never explained. You were suppose to know what it was all about. At times I got it totally wrong and confessed to something far worse than he had originally intended for that look to expose. I admit I learned that trait well from my father and used it rearing my own children. It did not lose any power over the years.

Nowadays, there are so many other ways to communicate including Email, twitter, SMART phones, texting, video conferencing, Skype, Blogs and YouTube. Emails, Facebook, and cell phones are a wonderful way to keep in touch with friends however, there is nothing sweeter than getting a letter or note in the mail. I love seeing handwriting on the envelope, knowing the message inside will be just for me. Call me old-fashioned but I hope the art of handwritten messages never dies out. It is so personal because it shows someone took the time to gather the notepaper or card, write out words of caring, locate a stamp, and get it into the postal system. This type communication will always be my favorite.

“What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.”

Liz Carpenter – (1920- ) American Writer and Feminist