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    • Swimming with Words

    swan-watersparkleWords. I love words. Each, like tiny drops of meaning. Each forming lustrous pearls of wisdom. Words can be soft, smooth and soothing or as bright as ballistic bullets. Long, languid and luxurious or spiky, sharp and wounding. And there’s always the right word for the right moment. Whether to soothe or to wound, there’s a word just perfect for every situation. Individually, each word has a unique power. Then, collectively, they form puddles of vocabulary, that swell into lakes. Beyond that, they expand into vast oceans that stretch to many horizons we can never hope to see over. Always new words, with new meanings and new things to say in new ways. New worlds, beyond new horizons. What’s not to love about words? Words entice, enchant and excite. I jump in; to float upon them and be buoyed by them. Or to dive deep and explore their unending mysteries. Then, add in grammar. Those simple yet bewildering rules, like the laws of some man-made nature. They allow words to combine beyond mere droplets. They turn individual points into sentences, paragraphs, speeches, conversations and books. Turning personal internal, ideas into shared external expression.  It turns mere puddles in to streams and rivers; gently trickling or mightily smashing all it its path. Suddenly, I’m not swimming silently and alone. Now my words and ideas can be shared. And others can share theirs’ with me. The pool is no longer empty. We can dart around each other, like silvery fish beneath the waves, or glide gracefully on the surface like a flotilla of majestic swans. Now our words can create fun, learning or even conflict. And, so what if words take effort? Sure, vocabulary and grammar take time to learn, but so what? And reading or writing may present extra challenges for we special few. Even the slickest of fish needs to work to swim; the most graceful of swans is paddling like fury to stay ahead of the current. “So what?” I say, “It’s well worth the effort.” Live in exile or swim with the fishes and the swans. Sharing our uniqueness through the vehicle of words. “Bring it on! I will have my say.” So, give me words. Give me expression. I’ll do what it takes to get my uniqueness out there for others. Let them play; let them argue, but most of all, let them learn with me. Yes, I love words. I love to jump into them. I love to swim with words. A world without words is a dry and barren desert. MIKE GORDON Mike Gordon is a life coach and volunteer with Dyslexia Scotland.  Mike has earned 3 degrees in science and business and has had two best-selling self-help books published. Mike believes his dyslexia has been a genuine enabler in his life: Isolation opens up imagination and creativity to him; while struggles with words have driven a sense of ‘rightness’ in what he says and does. Words are a blessing.