A Sharp Edged Tongue

Sometimes people spew from their mouth unedited words. Do they just “parrot” what they’ve heard without fully exploring their origins and depths of meaning? Yes. I know I’ve been guilty. Do people sometimes speak from a place of hurt either intentionally or unintentionally as a method of sharing pain? Yes. I have.

Could I share these experiences with you? Yes. BUT what good would it do to share these stories? When I look at the risk to benefit ratio I realize there are greater benefits in forgetting and more risks in remembering unhappy events.

So, how do you treat those with a sharp edged tongue? Do you strive to be loved OR shoo them away? Immediately, I remember a friend once telling me “Stay out of the snake pit.” Did I listen? No.

It seemed wherever I went I was stumbling over or blocked by snakes. Was I afraid? No. I was the woman that embraced Oscar Brown’s 1963 song The Snake just as Al Wilson sang it in 1968.

In the not too distant past, I let the snake entice me into playing a game with them. Why?

Taking time to reflect, I think back on the historical origin of the serpent. Then, I remember something Florence Nightingale (1969/1860) said in her chapter on Chattering hopes and advice . . .

“The sick man to his advisers. ‘My advisers!’ Their name is Legion” (p. 95).

In reading these words I had an immediate twist in my thinking. When “we” speak negativity who is truly speaking?

And how best do we handle the old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Which I must say, personally, I disagree. Maybe it best not to shoo them away, but show them the away.

[My eyes big] I think to myself . . . was that the name of a song I stumbled on two years ago. Not quite, it was Show me the way. A song I’d heard for the first time in my post, Finding the A/R/Tographer: The journey begins by turning on the light.”

Dedication

To my Sister-in-Christ, Kelly Brown, who shared Cody Bret’s (2023) thoughts on The Way People View You. A short read with a new perspective.

Reflecting on the Evidence

1. Explain how you handle verbal and non-verbal communication that is emotionally painful?

References

Beck, M. (2022, July 20). Finding the A/R/Tographer: The journey begins by turning on the light. Time Traveling Nurse. https://timetravelingnurse.blog/2022/07/21/finding-the-a-r-tograhper-the-journey-begins-by-turning-on-and-into-the-light/

Beck, M. (2023, May 13). They’ll Retreat to the Dark [Photograph].

Beck, M. (2023, May 13). When the Snake Slivers Near [Photograph].

Bret C. (2023, October 18). The way people view you [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ePV4koXt28

Google. (2024). Parrot as in copy. Parrot as in copy.

Google. (2024). Shoo. Definition of Shoo.

Humble is Da Way. (2016, February 16). Jason Walker Show Me the Way.  [YouTube]. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HaekkexNXfw

ILMJXXX. (2015, October 15). Al Wilson – The Snake. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHIcVuqQgVo

Koreman, S.G. (2006 ). Teaching the Responsible Conduct of Research in Humans (RCRH). https://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/ucla/chapter3/page01.htm#:~:text=A%20main%20role%20of%20IRBs,as%20stigma%20are%20not%20important.

Lake, R. (2023, May 13). Stand Tall in the Light. [Photograph].

Nightingale, F. (1969). Notes on Nursing What it is, and What it is not. Dover Publishing. (Original work published 1860).

Wikipedia. (2024, July 21). The Snake (song). Retrieved August 23, 2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snake_(song)

Special Thanks

Kelly Brown, reviewer for A Sharp Edged Tongue.

Delores Bunting, editor and reviewer for A Sharp Edged Tongue.