It Goes With Saying

How many of you remember what mud pies tasted like?  No, really, … you never ate them?  Well, I was a country girl, born in the post-war 40’s into a self-reliant middle class family, and I guess there just wasn’t much to do.  Inventiveness was high on the list of activities.    I rode in the apple-crate express train in the backyard to nowhere.  So, it wasn’t a far stretch to use whatever else was handy to pass away the long, lonely hours in a three-year-old’s day. 

Well, actually, he doesn’t (at least I don’t think so), but if he did, there’s no way I could tell you about it without using the kind of language that only humans have. If you doubt this, just give it a try.  Try to ‘tell’ someone (without using any language--either spoken or signed) that your uncle thinks he’s a giraffe. Let's see, how could you do this?

It started in elementary school.  I was a good student, made good grades, but I had this one problem.  I talked too much.  Always.  Anyway, my penmanship became very good.  Largely, I'm sure, due to the hundreds and hundreds of sentences I had to stay after school and write, which said "I will not talk in class".  Eventually, I did learn to restrain my tongue somewhat and started writing and passing notes instead.  Was better at that...didn't get caught as much.  It seems I just can't help myself...I love to talk.

Words have always fascinated me.  Such power residing in those discrete little sounds glued together in our minds!  How these little alphabet symbols conjure up such powerful forces!  But have you ever thought of them as soap?