When I Discovered the Power of the Written Word
I was poking around in my drafts folder today and found this unfinished post from years ago. I decided to finish it.
I first learned the power of the written word when I was 15 years old. You should know that I’m the kind of person that has real trouble articulating my thoughts. There is like a short circuit or a delay between my brain and my mouth. Five minutes after a conversation I often find my self thinking “I should have said that!” Writing gives me the ability to think about what I am trying to say before I say it and it comes across with more clarity than when I try to speak. This is how I discovered that revelation.
When I was in the eighth and ninth grade I had my first serious girlfriend. Her name was Michelle, which is kind of ironic since my wife has the same name. Wherever we went it was Lee & Michelle, Michelle & Lee. We were known as that couple around school in both those grades. Then we weren’t. We had a bad break up halfway through the school year. I won’t get into details on why, other than to say it involved a betrayal by her and a friend. Nothing so bad that my 55 year old self wouldn’t just laugh it off, but it was devastating to my 15 year old self.
Fast forward to near the end of the year. Michelle and I had an art class together, along with our best friends, which probably contributed to the fact that I got a D in that class. Who gets a D in art? Hell, I almost got an F. The only thing that kept me from getting that was a wooden paddle. Yup, we got paddled back then when we were being little shits. A little shit I was in art class, along with the rest of my friends. The thing was, none of us were scared of paddling by our art teacher. She was a frail thing and when she swatted you it felt like nothing more than a butt bump from somebody trying to get around you in a crowded hall. We used to laugh every time she swung; that is until the football coach happen to come along the hall we were laughing at our art teacher’s attempts to sting us. He offered to take care of that paddling for her. Believe me, we weren’t laughing anymore when the burley coach tore our ass up! That was bad enough but what got me to get my F up to a D was the fact that the coach told our art teacher to call on him for any other corporal punishment necessary. I wasn’t risking that again! So, I drew some damn pictures.
Anyway, even though we had been broken up for half the school year and Michelle was already dating someone else, we had remained somewhat friends. She told us all that her family was moving at the end of the school year. In Texas junior high schools in the 80’s everyone bought an autograph book to have your classmates write you a note. Year books weren’t given out until high school. When Michelle gave me hers to sign I had intended to just put a generic we are going to miss you message. However, when I began to write, something took me over and I began to write prose about all our good times and how we shouldn’t have let a bump in the road take away the time we could have had the past half year. At the end I told her that I still loved her and I always would. I handed her the book back just as the bell was ringing, ending the period.
At the end of school that day, I was at my locker getting the books I would need to take home when I felt arms embrace me. I turned around and there was Michelle with tears in her eyes. She didn’t say anything at first, she just leaned in and kissed me. I was gob smacked! Of course, I instinctively kissed back! She then told me what I wrote was beautiful and that she would call me that night. During that call she told me that she went right after that locker kiss to break up with her current BF and she wanted to spend what time she had left with me. I was cool with that! Of course, that led to almost making a real big mistake, but it turned out OK in the end.
So, that’s when I realized the power of the written word. I never would have been able to say those words out loud. That’s also when the urge to write started to grow in me. It only took 37 years to fully blossom, but eventually it did.
7 thoughts on “When I Discovered the Power of the Written Word”
I’m so glad you’re writing again! Are you home for good?
I hate technology with a passion, but I have to admit that I do like writing ‘letters’ to people I’m annoyed with and then deleting them. I’d never get anything said properly out loud, but everything looks perfect when it’s in the written word. And then you hit erase and keep the friendship.
Continue feeling better and better!!!
Not quite “home” yet. In April we are heading back to VA for three more months of post-op care from my original doctor, then we are heading back out on the road in the RV.
It’s funny what you said about writing those letters and tearing them up. When I was in the Navy and we would go on six month deployments, the family center would hold a seminar for the wives left behind. They told them to write angry letters about the crap they had to deal with while we were gone and store them somewhere. Then tear them all up right before we get home.
Both my husbands were David. My second husband had a NICKname of Nick. Everyone knew him by Nick. Most were surprised to see his headstone say David Lee.
Aww. That’s such a sweet story. And you’re right, definite proof of the written word’s power.
Hope all’s well with you!
All is right (write?) in my world. Feeling good and getting stronger everyday!
I’m glad you’re feeling better and also glad you found this and shared it. There’s nothing like discovering the power of the written word to move another person, and you really did, and you continue to do so.
It also reminds me of that scene in Dead Poets Society when Robin Williams asks the class what the purpose of language is. One guy says, “To communicate?” and Williams says, “No, to woo women.”
You learned that lesson without having to be told. In fact this is an excellent example of “Show, don’t tell.”
Ha! I forgot about that line. Perfect!