Words of Affirmation

If you’re familiar with the concept of “love languages,” the title of this post may ring a bell. The author of “The Five Love Languages” and its subsequent books, believes that everyone has their own unique love language/s that are how they best receive love. For those who haven’t heard about this concept, the languages are words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, quality time, and gifts.

My primary love language is words of affirmation, and my secondary language is physical touch. Today, in a waiting room, a teenage girl said to me, “You’re so pretty.” I thanked her of course. I’m not gonna lie, after she walked out, tears rose in my eyes.

To say I was touched doesn’t quite do it justice. To be honest, those aren’t words I ever hear from anyone. I feel a little low in the love bank – my funds are a little depleted. I’m writing checks my body can’t catch (name that movie). When moments like that happen & they fill that love bank just a little more, life feels a little sweeter. There’s a little more pep in my step, even if just for a moment. 

It got me thinking about how I interact with others. It got me thinking about how my words may impact others. And while some of us have a words of affirmation love language, in general, our words matter. What we say to the cleaning lady at our apartment complex matters. What we say to those we know and love and things we say to those we don’t know, matters. I said, “thank you,” to the cleaning lady at my apartment and now she gets a big smile every time I see her and we have a quick chat. Maybe she needed to know that she was seen?

We don’t know how our words, or lack thereof, may impact those around us. And for that reason, the “you’re so pretty,” will stay with me forever. It will be a reminder of the power of words – those spoken to me and those I speak to others.