A friend's wife was sharing photographs of coastal formations along the Baja. "What a fine eye you have," I said.
"Just a bunch of rocks & sand," her husband piped up.
Imagine an archeologist an artist & a child on this beach. Each sees the identical scene differently. We may guess what the first two see. The child is harder to peg.
If I say, "That view is awesome," I am summarizing complex phenomena with trite simplicity. Adjectives like awesome were created to describe life's most majestic experiences. Now the word is a lazy person's crutch.
What if I say, "That sky is the ocean's cathedral ceiling & the sea is the sky's magic carpet." What if I ask, "What is the ocean's scent? How does the sand feel? What is the sea's song?"
We learn little from one who says, "Europe was great." Good storytelling awakens life.
In a hurry? Which summary says more, "I enjoyed the ocean's voice" or, "Everything was awesome"?
Radiologist, nurse & poet stand by a cancer patient's bed. One wonders about tumor location, one vital signs, the last conjures words that describe pain. The sick need all three & more.
Radical Loving Care informs sense & soul. Those who label a patient "the leukemic" can only perform repairs. Richer language ennobles listener and speaker. It helps transform caregivers from mechanics to healers.
-Erie Chapman
Photograph by R. O'Keefe
Journal of Sacred Work 
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