THE POWER OF LUBBINS

I am amazed by the power of words.

They have the ability to both build you up and tear you down, depending on the type of power infused into them by the one who writes or speaks them. It’s unfortunate that the power usually injected into words is hate or anger.

But when used right, words can provide strength, give hope, and change the way minds think. They can also shine a ray of light into a completely horrible day around.

I had that experience recently.

I can usually multi-task my job duties without a meltdown or major drama. But that particular morning, it seemed the harder I worked, the more work I got. There was a devil on my shoulder, having a ball as he whispered rotten nothings into my ear.

By lunchtime, I had dealt with several challenging people, and was ready to come out swinging at the next person who had some smart remark to make.

But then, I noticed that among the twenty or so other emails in my in-box, I had one from the Better Half. It was different in nature, as the word in the subject line didn’t start out with some kind of complaint driven adjective or verb requiring immediate action, topped with a red flag.

It was titled with one simple word that means everything in the world to a Dogwood resident: Lubbins.

For those of you who don’t already know, “lubbins” is a special “Dogwood speak” word with a double meaning for “kisses” and “love”.

I opened the email. It said simply, “Me and babies Lub You”.

“Lubbins” overtook heart and saved the day, because of the power that we have built INTO that word, and what it means to the eight heartbeats that make Dogwood a family and a home.

As I looked up to see the pictures that wall paper my cubicle, into the faces of my Better Half and of all my fur babies, I reminded myself that, when the day was done, none of what I was so mad about would matter anymore. They would all be waiting for me, and that is what gets me thru the day.
My heart flipped like a hamburger and I went from grilled with anger to filled with peace.

I typed back to Better Half, “I lub you too.”

By the time my lunch hour was over, I had swatted the devil off my shoulder, banked my anger, and put on my big boy pants to get the rest of the day completed.

I admit, I had to re-read that email several times that day to keep my peace of mind. But when the day was done, I went home to be scratched, tromped on, barked at, and licked like a lolly pop.

I’m one of the luckiest people in the world.

Words.
They have a power to rip you up, or glue you back together. It’s all in how we use them.