Let’s geek out for a moment here. I love Harry Potter. I told you that in January in the post about audio books and the greatness of the library. Since that post, I’ve listened to “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and I’m halfway through “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”
The characters in Harry Potter are just so great. I love Snape because of his complexity, Luna for her weirdness, Neville for his sweet nerdiness, Hermione for her confidence, brains and creativity, and Dumbledore because he is wise.
Last year for Travis’ birthday, I gave him Dumbledore’s wand and, because I’m a child, decorated our room with balloons that had little pieces of paper inside with quotes from that old, wise wizard. (Side note … I love balloons.) This all led up to main gift – tickets to a John Williams-themed symphony where they would play “Harry’s Wondrous World.”
Now about those Dumbledore quotes … there are some gems, one of my most favorite being about words.
He says, “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”
I really need to print this out and hang it in our apartment somewhere, because if there’s two things I love (along with Travis, and balloons, and sunflowers, and See’s chocolates, and a billion other things), it’s writing and talking. And while a lot of what comes out of my brain is probably mumbo-jumbo, if I could remember that words are sources of magic – for good or bad – I’d be a lot more careful about what comes out of my mouth and what lands on paper. Even careless slips can lead to jinxes that cause hurt, pain and/or embarrassment. And the words we tell ourselves are also very important, for if they are not good, they can cast the worst of spells upon our daily lives.
The best of words can create friendship, love and peace. They can remedy dark magic. They can simply roll off your tongue in some beautiful way. The right combination of words create the most lovely of images, describe exactly how we feel, and help people relate and feel connected.
Handwritten words are simply the best sometimes, and the words we say in the dark hours can sometimes lift a tear-stained face and heart. Words are magic – our most inexhaustible source of magic.
Yesterday, while perusing through Facebook, I noticed a wonderful Buddhist vow my friend posted … all about words and communication. I’m going to leave it with you with the hope we can all do better with this, especially myself.
“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.”
And now, just for fun, we may as well end with more Harry Potter goodness, including me at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida three years ago and the Valetine’s by Yenniper I gave this year. Always remember I like your long bottom. If those words aren’t magic, I don’t know what are.
