The Word

I'm sort of "famous" for my foul mouth, and realized recently that it's too late to save my son from my bad habit. The other day he suggested that his dad (a priest) could be "Father", he could be "Son", and I could be "Holy..." - well, have fun figuring out what the missing word is! There are several options.

Years ago I worked the Swing Shift at a public utility in Denver, Colorado. I'd been a Keypunch Operator for many years, and then transferred into the Computer Operations Department. A young co-worker named Sheila was my work partner. It was my job to "train' her...

Sheila was quite naive. She loved cars, and lived at home so she could afford to pay for her sporty, fast convertible. When she got excited, her mouth sort of foamed, and when she laughed, she always ended up spitting. These were all endearing qualities. We were friends, and we had lots of fun.

However, Sheila wasn't so anxious to be "trained" in my skill of foul language. I'd say a word that made her uncomfortable and she'd give me that head down, eyes looking up, "don't say that word" kind of look. You know the one I mean? One day, she was working and dropped something. I heard her say, "THE WORD!" Stopping in my tracks, I stared at her. "What did you say?" I asked. "THE WORD!" she replied, her mouth beginning to foam. I started to laugh. She started to laugh. There was spit everywhere. We couldn't stop.

From then on, when I was with Sheila, the term "THE WORD" became my foul language. We'd say it loud; we'd say it in our heads; we'd write it on a piece of paper. It worked.

So, I think I'm going to start utilizing "THE WORD" again. It's a bad habit to break, that of foul language. I'm way too free in using it, and it's gotten me in trouble a time or two.

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is bright, and it's supposed to get up to 40 degrees! Spring is just around the corner, or so they say. It will be a great day to take a walk and smile and be pleasant, using non-foul language. I'll take my son with me and tell him about Sheila and how much fun she was to be around. I wonder where she is today. I wonder if she still spits when she laughs! I wonder if she still drives a convertible.

I wonder if she still says, "THE WORD!"

The Word, indeed. Works for me!