Do you
ever feel like you are living in Narnia?
The writing
life can be like living in the cursed kingdom born in the imagination of Clive Staples
Lewis where it’s always winter and never Christmas. Spirits sag. Exhaustion sets
in. The forecast is for more snow and cold of the emotional kind. Are you
living or renting space in such a place?
Narnia’s spell was conquered by the “deep magic from before the
dawn of time” and the inhabitants could finally brighten their dark days. Words
are the source of a deep magic for my writer’s Narnia. Words - particularly affirming words - brighten my dark days. Gary Chapman lists words
of affirmation as one of his five love languages. Affirmation is the language
of my soul.
Words of affirmation are refreshing -
invigorating. The right words at the right time from the right person are like
gold. The sage of the ancient Book of Proverbs opined, "words fitly spoken
are like apples of gold in pictures of silver."
The proverb suggests the esteem Solomon placed upon well-chosen
words. In his day, when a banquet was given by an Eastern king it was customary
to present each guest with a golden apple. These golden apples were placed upon
the tables in lovely baskets of silver filagree work and then through the
meshes the glittering fruit delighted the guests.
My spirit
and writing are rejuvenated through words fitly spoken or written.
Hugh
Macmillan says, "The term translated 'fitly' is a very curious one in the
original Hebrew. It signifies 'wheels,' and means a word that rolled smoothly
and pleasantly from the lips of the speaker to the ears of the hearer. The wise
man says that each of your words should be like a vehicle on easy-going wheels,
so smooth and courteous that it would produce no jar or shock to either speaker
or hearer; not hurt by any harshness or roughness, or leave a painful rut
behind in the memory."
Case
in point. Vahen King is the first Miss Wheelchair Canada, and founder of Going
Farther. I admire her grit and grace. Vahen invited me to organize a mental
health conference with her for Bell Let's Talk Day in Edmonton. She invited me be
the closing speaker. The day following the Conference she posted on Facebook,
"Bob was REMARKABLE yesterday, and I couldn't
think of a better way to end our day, he was funny, engaging, powerful, and
challenged us in MANY ways."
Vahen
described me as “funny.” Her comment was like a gold star. It’s important to me
as a speaker to hear people laugh. It’s a signal that they are emotionally
engaged. I’m not naturally funny so I have to work at it. I don’t always
succeed.
After
publishing a monthly Inscribe contribution, I wait a few days and check for golden
apples of fitly written comments on my post. (I can count on the Inscribe tribe to excel at affirming engagement.)
I’m refreshed by what people take away from my writing.
I like the words of one unknown
author:
“Bring me all the flowers today,
Whether pink, or rose, or red.
I'd rather have just one blossom
now
Than a whole truckload
When I'm dead.”
Apples of gold, blossoms of pink,
or words of affirmation – they are the magic that breaks the curse of a Narnian
winter on a writer’s soul.
