My Pishing and Poshing Friend

Unless you're a total newbie to my blog, you know that I'm a word person through and through. I read them all day, and I write them most evenings. Heck, I've even been known to speak a few of them from time to time. My infatuation with words is more than being able to catch misspellings or notice poor grammar in the copy I read each day at work. It's more than being able to string together my often rambling thoughts into some semblance of cohesiveness when I write. It's also more than being able to stand before a group and speak about things like faith or hope or perseverance. My love for words is about so much more than any of those things ... my love for words is about the emotions they reveal ... about the meaning that is contained within them ... about the tremendous power they possess, both for good and for evil as well.

I pay attention to words now more than I used to ... the words I read, the words I write, the words I speak. But most of all, I pay much more attention than I ever have in my life to the words I hear ... the words that others speak or write. And perhaps I do so because in recent months I've come to appreciate those very real and raw emotions that can be conveyed through the words of others. I've learned some big lessons through the words that other people have spoken or written to me ... lessons about love, lessons about laughter, lessons about life. I've also learned something else ... some words can take on a life and a depth of meaning all their own, especially when they are spoken or written by a true friend. Words like ... pish posh. Yep ... pish posh, I say.

In my whole life, I think I've only known one person who says pish posh ... I mean seriously, do you know anyone who says pish posh? But I will also admit that saying pish posh most definitely fits my friend, and she says it with such style and flair, too. I can't remember the context in which she first said, "Pish posh!" to me, but I do remember that she said it with a definite purpose in mind ... she said, "Pish posh!" to make me smile. When I first began to think about this post, I went back and read some of the email exchanges that took place between the two of us and I began to notice a pattern. Most of the times my friend said, "Pish posh!" were times when I was struggling in a big way or I was so very, very sad. In fact, in one email following her "Pish posh!" she said, "And if pish posh doesn't make you smile, I may have to flu-slap you." Not only did I smile, friends, I laughed out loud.

This morning at work, my friend and I were talking in the kitchen ... actually, I've sort of turned the kitchen into my office. No, I'm serious. I often take my work and go to the kitchen and sit at one of the tables near the large windows ... there's lots of natural light and for the most part, it's very quiet. My friend and I had been discussing something that was a touch on the serious side, something that she knows isn't one of my favorite things to talk about. As our conversation drew to a close, I made a comment that caused her to pick up on the trace of sadness in my voice. She didn't miss a beat in tossing out a quick "Pish posh!" as she turned to head back to her desk. And guess what I did? Yep ... I laughed out loud. For as long as I live, I will never again hear the words pish posh without thinking of my friend. But so much more, I will never again hear the words pish posh without stopping what I'm doing and breathing a prayer of thanks for my friend who makes me smile, who points me to God, who tells me when I'm wrong and applauds me when I'm right ... a friend who knows when nothing else but a hearty "Pish posh!" will do the trick to lift my drooping spirits.

So this one's for you, my pishing and poshing friend ... thanks for being such a loyal, caring and fun part of my "village." Cheers!