Waxing About Word Choices
Sure, I write things. I write knitting patterns and pattern descriptions and what not. I write here on the blog irregularly. But when I’m writing for this blog I rarely take the time to really hone my words or think about the impact of choosing one word over another. Let us not even mention when I’m speaking off the cuff!
That said, in the last couple months I’ve had reason to think about some key phrases that have been directed towards me and how profoundly different they are. Even though the words sound the same and I suspect the different people speaking them meant to convey more or less the same sentiment.
Being the last one to jump on the weight loss bandwagon and still be on it in my family I knew this was coming. I knew both my mom and my sister were tired of hearing it — the person you haven’t seen for a few months who comes up to you, smiles and says “Wow, you’re just withering away!” The first couple times it happened to me I enjoyed it. It is of course nice to know that people recognize the hard work you are putting in to live a healthier and more well rounded lifestyle. But it does get old. Then, one evening this spring I went to my usual weekly Yin yoga class, not in an oversized sweatshirt or sweater, but in my more normal workout wear (which is more fitted) because it was finally a warm enough temperature to have short sleeves on and my instructor, Jill proclaims “Wow, you are really whittling away!”
To the ear, there is not much difference between withering and whittling and in this context they both casually mean the same thing – I’m shrinking and it is noticeable. That is good thing. But once you dig a little deeper there is a profound difference.
Withering, to me comes across as negative; something that happens as part of illness or perhaps even the dying process. It is something that is out of your control. Not to mention, that while I’ve lost about 30% of my starting weight at this point, I still have a BMI in the upper portion of the “Overweight” section. I’m still not even a “healthy” weight! I have another ~30 pounds before I cross the line from “Overweight” into “Normal.”
Now, whittling – I like that word selection. It implies certain deliberateness. It even includes the hard work and attention to detail that this process has required. It is a much better choice for this instance and in fact, I cannot really think of a better option. Although I suppose keeping it simple and just saying “you’re looking good” or something to that effect is a safe choice too.
Are there things you say that upon further thought are not saying what you are really wishing to convey? I have a feeling I probably do similar things quite regularly. I’m going to try to be more deliberate in my word choices, especially when paying people compliments!
