Simple Words That Can Lead to Comfort

It's so very humorous how hearing a certain word can put one's mind and spirit at ease. Although this stance that I'm taking is nothing new, it's interesting when we hear certain words that we would never identify with feeling relaxed, being used to actually make someone relax. In my case it was done unconsciously. I was invited to a housewarming this past weekend and didn't know anyone there. No matter how old you are or who you are, walking into a house full of folks you don't know and having to have conversation with them can be somewhat daunting. As I sat there after initial introductions, I hugged the corner of the couch as close and as tight as I cold while surveying the landscape. People interacting easily in their groups and me wondering who was sizing me up(because that's what people typically do when a stranger walks in). I slowly began to loose some of the up tightness that clung to my diaphragm when I began talking with someone's parent/mom who was attendance. She was pleasant, but I preferred to talk to my friend that I came with. When she got up and left me on the couch to interact with her friends, I felt the air grow thin and my nerves begin to tense. No-I'm not agoraphobic, I'm simply human.

Then I heard the word that put me at ease. 'I don't want any pop, I drank some earlier'. Wait a minute- did that lady just use the word 'pop'? They don't say that down here in DC, they say 'soda'. 'Pop' is mid-west terminology. That's a part of the lexicon I use and grew up hearing. Automatically, I felt different. I asked the woman where she was from, and when she stated "Detroit", I felt at ease. Once the people in attendance(majority of them from Detroit) found out I was from Cleveland, the mood changed. We shared in stories of each other's home towns, places we had been, food we shared and of course talked about line dancing! I walked out that evening feeling good and relaxed having met new people. No alcohol had been consumed, the only thing shared was a word and a unique understanding of diaspora and identification.