Dear Reader:

Don’t you wish that we could pin this reminder on the back of every politician and/or speaker? When did politicians begin thinking that the noise level of their message was more important than the words in it…or perhaps it is because of the words in it….that make some politicians scream it at the crowd. An audio “force-fed” rambling repertoire of lower-level mistakenly applied vocabulary.

As a lover of words…I cringe at their destruction in the wrong vocal chords of some speakers. I would much rather hear a beautiful poem with a melodious flow of precisely selected words. Here are just a few examples of some of my favorite phrases from literature…poems and stories…and how they could be applied to the ‘road to the White House.’

If I was running for office…I think I would read this passage from The Velveteen Rabbit and then say…”I, too, might be older… with loved off hair, poor vision, a little loose in the joints, and shabby … but my fellow Americans..”I am REAL and I LOVE this country we all call home..” !!!

 or

I would use this little poem in a political campaign (after reading it to the crowd) by saying:

“On my next birthday I will have TWO 6’s by my name… I am thinking I surely must be at my “cleverest” …so you need to vote me into office and then squeeze the very best out of me…since I am at the top of my game… for you, your family, and our country.”

or

After reading this selection from Dr. Seuss…I would tell my audience that...”It is time to return  “inside the box” for our thinking. We need to  look at the issues facing our country today from the inside out…not the outside in.…if this seems wierd…great! Join me my fellow wierd Americans and let’s change the perception of greatness and possibility from within. “

That’s my parallel political life…I will leave you with one of my favorite Abraham Lincoln “come back ” remarks…which goes to show how intellect and wit go hand in hand.

(I am thinking that most of the politicians today aren’t too intellectual because they scream back obscenities at those who oppose them or make negative remarks about them… instead of using humor and wit as their ally.)

Lincoln was much more about “laughing with” than “laughing at.” And when “laughing at,” it was often himself he was mocking.

In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, when Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced, Lincoln replied, referencing his homeliness, “Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?” 

I think we should all look at the candidates running for the most important office in the world and search for a candidate with a witty sense of humor and a humble manner of presenting themselves. Is it too late to clone Lincoln?

So until tomorrow…Let us learn to use words wisely and softly…because, like softer sprinklings of rain, we want our words to help nourish others and help them grow…not shrink them in fear.

“Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

*Here is a morning glory vine that is  growing, growing with the latest rains (though they have had to put up with some thunderous rumblings lately.)