Overused Words

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Today I am grateful for overused words. A friend posted a great Facebook article about the overuse of the word “just” and how it marks you in business as weak. Hmm. I’m not in business, but I do that. I know I do that. I know I use too many exclamation points (!) and (. . .), too. I like them. . . I really like them!

Last week at lunch with a bunch of women we were talking about the over use of “like” and I mentioned that a few years ago I tried to get my very articulate granddaughter to tell me a story without using a billion “likes”. Every time she said “like” she stopped herself and started over. The story took forever and I have no clue what it was about, but I know we were howling and exhausted by the time she was done.

The women who lunch also commented on the overuse of “you know?”. I do that, too. They say, “Of course, we know. We all know! So why say, “You know?!” I know I say, “You know?”. I hear myself doing it. I don’t know why I do it. I don’t even know it’s flipping out of my mouth and there it is and by then it’s too late to reel it back in.

Now I feel pressure. Lots of pressure. . .to not overuse words or symbols. Geeze. One more thing to feel guilty about, like hips or that mysteriously missing piece of cake my husband was looking for the other day. “Maybe the rental dog got it,” I said, hiding the crummy plate under the newspaper. Woof!

I want to improve. I really do. I don’t want to sound like a dimwit. Someday maybe I’ll be rich and famous and my speech should reflect my station and intelligence. Yeah, right. Okay, whatever. . .but sometimes I just can’t, like, just take all of the pressure of correctness!!! You know?!

an^?