Tiffany Sung shares her experience with the power of words.
“I love this color!” “I love this song!” “I love this weather!” These light-hearted phrases we hear every day. “Love you!” I say as I pass friends in the hall or receive a favor from a stranger. It’s three simple words that are pervasive in our vocabulary. So why can’t I say it to the people who mean the most?
Somehow, my tongue gets tied, my words get twisted and all I can get out is a quiet mumble or grunt in the form of gratitude. As relationships get deeper, more personal, and more intimate, the easiest words to say become harder. The weight of words gets heavier. Until they get so heavy they disappear.
Last year, my dad got into a biking accident. While he made a full recovery, I will always wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t. Imagining the unfinished conversations or the empty seat at the dinner table, I am haunted by the possibility of never saying those three words. The regret would be unimaginable, and there’d be nothing I could do to fix it.
As relationships strengthen and deepen, so does the weight of words, both in positive and negative aspects. A simple “I’m sorry” can carry considerably more impact coming from a close friend than an instinctual response after bumping into someone. A malicious “I hate you” can cut deeper coming from those who know you best, compared to an anonymous comment on the internet.