Go ahead. Mutter under your breath. We all do it. It’s that “silent voice” to something we’re not happy with and wished we had the bravery to say it aloud. Generally, it’s not a compliment to the moment! Slanderous words! Push back phrases! Get out of my face kind of moments!
Yet. There are many things I say “under my breath” that are positive. Not everything is negative!
I recite scripture, poems, songs, phrases… It seems like with retirement living in our house, some of these sentiments have been stored up and waiting to be used… What are we going to do today? I don’t like sitting here. Let’s take a drive…
But a favorite under breath expression is simply murmuring a song’s lyrics and melody. I don’t have a great solo voice, and I’m often encouraged to not sing. Something about the key and missed meolody, or even reciting the wrong words. Yes. It’s difficult to find the right key, hold the appropriate note, or know where to go next.
Words That Speak
Last week I read a managment piece where someone included the lyrics to Simon & Garfunkle’s award winning, “Sounds of Silence”. I’ve heard this song for years, and will hum and utter the phrases I remember. Until this moment of reading the article, I never really understood the song. I won’t post all the lyrics, but the opening stanza goes like this.
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
Makes you want to read all the lyrics, right?!!? Here they are! [Sounds of Silence] Or, you may simply want to watch them sing and listen to the words. [Here]
Anyway, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve uttered these words under my breath… Hello darkness… My Old Friend. Did I even think about what they meant? Or comprehend what was happening when the writers penned the words?
Read, listen, comprehend… You may change what you mutter under your breath!
Changing Times
I remember being shocked, as a kid, when someone said, “I wish they would get off my tail.” To the car that was following too closely, that is. T-A-I-L is a 4-letter word! My granddad was not given to cursing, but I did remember another shocking momnet when he muttered, “Mell of a hess!”
I watch people muttering under their breath, and though I cannot hear the words, I can put sounds to their lip movements and I’m S-H-O-C-K-E-D!
I realize some make uses of foul language as a shock to tender ears. Or they think it shows their freedom from boundaries and any word works. Even if they have the attitude to speak it, I prefer it to be under the breath utterings that only the person themselve hear.
In other words, keep it to yourself!
We are living through changing times. Words that maybe were spoken in crude environments make their way into casual conversation. Your heated moments release the volley of words that are so unlike the way I was raised.
Take a different approach… Words you speak are equal to the words you write. Social platforms of the day have given people voices they never dreamed of using before. Yet, they are equal to each other. Spoken Words and Written Words.
Words Are Powerful
Whether spoken aloud, or under the breath, words have a powerful presence. King David spoke often about his words, what they meant, and where they came from. He even wanted a guard over the words he said…
“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”
Psalms 141:3 (KJV)
The New Century Version says the same words like this:
Lord, help me control my tongue;
help me be careful about what I say.
God, help me control my words, and be careful about what I say… Jesus says, and I share this often, the words he spoke were spirit and life (John 6:63). It was James that told us that from our mouth we should not speak blessings and cursings. (James 3:10). Either be a blessor, or a cursor. Don’t mingle the two.
Could I think it like this, what is in my heart, I am, even when the words do not make it to the light of day? What you utter under your breath is coming from your heart… This will define you all day long!
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; … words, become your actions; … actions become your habits; … habits become your character; … character becomes your destiny.”
~Lao Tzu
