When my young granddaughters came for a visit, we took a tour of my small garden. Emily and I each picked a juicy cherry tomato. We popped them into our mouths and savored the juicy fruits. Ashlyn preferred to try some of my herbs. I plucked mint, anise, and stevia for her to munch. All of us enjoyed our treats.
Later Emily told her mom about our adventure. Her description made it seem quite different from what I saw. “Grandma had a tomato. I had a tomato. Ashlyn just had leaves.”
Immediately, I added that Ashlyn ate some of my herbs not just any kind of leaves. Her story was true but gave a different perception than what actually happened.
Word choice is so important in relationships. Various cultures, life experiences, and languages can cause confusion and unnecessary pain when people see things differently. It is easy to become angry, hurt, or dejected because of perceived slights, attacks, or hypocrisy. How important it is to choose words carefully. Many problems could be prevented if people would really communicate.
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