I'm grateful for soul words. Words that help us explain what we are really feeling rather than giving a broad, generalized name to the feeling. For example, happy. "I feel happy." That doesn't tell me much about why you feel happy or how you feel happy. But if you say to me, "I feel delighted" I will probably be able to hone it a little more on your true feeling. We use such a limited vocabulary when it comes to feelings. I believe that this is due in part to the discomfort talking about feelings brings up. Even talking about positive feelings seems to make us uncomfortable. A couple of years ago a counselor gave my hub and I a long list of words to use in place of the broad, general word. It did make me think, but not enough to change the way I speak. And then in September (2013) I read a GREAT book called How We Love by Milan and Kay Yerkovich and in it they discuss soul words. This time it stuck a little more. (I'm a slow learner, *wink*) I decided that our children could also learn to use specific words to explain feelings rather than generalizations. So one night a week we discuss a negative word and a positive word - the true definition and then an example of how we saw ourselves feel it over the past week. I'm hoping it helps all of us increase our vocabulary and our awareness of how we are truly feeling. I'm grateful for these words that are helping us grow emotionally. Here's the list in case you are interested yourself!
"We realized that the important thing was not the film itself but that which the film provoked." Fernando Solanas
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