(aka: Liar liar pants on fire)

I have written a time or two before about the power of words, both written and especially spoken. I’m reminded of all of the world being spoken into existence by God, and that they created us in their image…

Male and female we were created in the likeness of God.

That means our words have power.

We know this without a doubt, we use this power daily as carelessly as we use a Kleenex and toss it aside. We abuse it most ruthlessly with those closest to us because they’ll forgive us, right?

Don’t they have to?

I’ve learned to be very careful who I believe in. I’ve worked my ass off to be someone those I love can believe in.

It’s really hard sometimes.

I see people all around me vomiting words without even thinking or caring that they won’t follow through. Hell, that’s a problem for an entirely different day right? We’ll just deal with it then.

As a writer who uses words to create feelings and understanding (once upon a time anyway) I am probably more sensitive than those who are not to the damage done by words spoken from the ego, out of fear, defensiveness, anger, panic, cowardice and at times the temporary high of feeling superior to another human being.

I may not remember what day it is, what I had for dinner yesterday, or the name of that one excellent movie I want my peeps to watch, but…

I remember every word said to me. The tone. The facial expressions and the smugness in the words that were spoken. It could be praise or appreciation, it could be a temporary mean-spiritedness, it could be emotional manipulation, it could be one of many endless little “lazy lies” to make life easy so we don’t have to actually make an effort to connect.

Sometimes, I try to lie. It is very rare at this time in my life. It really is a defense mechanism that begins eating at your insides the moment you say the words that are not true.

I have about 24 hours max before I’m back in front of somebody saying…

“Listen, what I told you was bullshit, I’m sick to my stomach and here’s the real deal.”

My normal behavior is to tell on myself before anyone else does because that means the times I speak, it is the gospel because I throw myself under the bus every chance I create to make it necessary.

I struggle with liars because I was one growing up. I learned the hard way how much better the truth is, even if it rips you open along with everyone else.

It is exhausting to maintain all the lies once you start stacking them together…

Who can keep all that shit straight anyway?

I have the utmost respect for those few I know who will speak the truth to me when I ask them a question, or for their perception of any given situation. I feel safe with them, with leaving my heart in their care, with believing in them no matter what human flaws they have, even if what they say in love hurts my feelings. I know they think I’m amazing enough to handle the truth, sort through it, and feel the love.

When we lie, when we say careless words and don’t follow through, we begin to build a world of falseness, disrespect and eventually a distaste so strong that it is pointless to be in relationship at all.

Is that really what we want to create in our lives with the power of our words?

Welcome to the City of Lies and Bullshit where you can count on being mis-lead, manipulated and let down, or…

Welcome to Reality, where you can count on what you see and hear, build on the trust of that, correct all errors before the cement solidifies, and honor each other with the bravery of truth-speaking, truth-living, truth-loving.

Even when it’s ugly, it’s real and you can count on it.

What is your word worth? You know. Even if you don’t want to say…

You know.

What kind of life are you living?

What kind of world are you creating?

Do you want to hop on the next train out, or fix that shit?

Your call…and mine.