A Slippery Slope

It is a slippery slope that I walk each and every day.
I try to wear the proper footwear to keep me from sliding down that slope.
I wear proper attire.
I am not to proud to use a hand rail when available.
And I will reach for a hand when offered.
I listen to the forecast and the warnings and attempt to adjust to the conditions.
I have become better at heeding advise as I step out on that slope each day.
I am mostly aware of the grade of the slope and adjust my gait accordingly.
I research and study and read some of the material out there with regard to this slope.
I am cautious and send out my own warnings to those I see.
At the end of each day I take a moment to examine the bumps and bruises I acquired.
I cleanse and nurse the cuts and I wait for the bruises to heal in their own time.
Sometimes the day ends in tears as my man tenderly comes along side and doctors the wounds his way.


It is then I crawl into bed and rest, preparing for a new start to a new day on the slope.


It is then I ponder and think and wonder and remember. It is then I realize that as I was slip, sliding along the slope that I was not alone. There were others doing the same thing. Struggling to keep their footing, wishing they had of dressed different & prepared better. Others who ended up with just as many, if not more, bumps and bruises than I.


When I think about the many that crossed my path whilst sliding, it is both humerous and sad. Some of these were prepared to the hilt and others barely decent for public viewing. Some were those that had warned and taught me in the past. Some were caught off guard while their own guard was down. Some were just going with it; no regard for safety, caution or the concern of outcome. 


Where is this treacherous slope I describe? Why would I choose to stand on this slope, let alone walk it each and every day? You may wonder why I don't alter the path in my day. You may wonder how so many of us end up on the same one... 


Speaking. Communicating. Conversing. Verbally sharing of information. Chatting. Filling the void of silence. Talking. 


We all do it. It is natural. Healthy. Normal. Necessary. 


However... The tongue is a dangerous thing. The words we speak can cause us to fall or keep us steady. Words can destroy a person, a relationship, a business, a heart, a family, a community, neighbourhood, town and if really powerful; words can destroy a nation.


For most of us our world is small enough that the nation doesn't rest on our shoulders or the words we say. Mostly the slippery slope of an unguarded tongue only hurts those around us, in our general vicinity, within the confines of our own community. 


The opposite is also true....The words we speak can build up a person, a relationship, a business, a heart, a family, a community, neighbourhood, town and yes, even a nation.

The power of an unguarded tongue is not a new revelation for any of us. Walking this slippery slope is a path we all must encounter, engage in and conquer. 'Think before you speak' still holds true. As does 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all'. 


Prepare yourself for the darting of words directed at you. 
Prepare & guard yourself for the words you have of potentially unleashing on others. 

Prepare yourself for the slippery slope that is just outside your door. In your kitchen. At the office. At church. The grocery store. Doctors office. Your friends house. The coffee shop. The newspaper article you are writing. The Blog you keyed this morning. The telephone call you are just about to make. Your childs school. Your childs heart. The lunch room. 


Blessings be yours as you learn to walk for the conditions ♥ LR