The Power of Words

“Tony Kushner, everyday I have to live without the immeasurable wealth of your language, which reminds me everyday of the impoverishment of my own.” Daniel Day-Lewis

Dude … he is no way poor on words.

This is one of the best compliments I’ve ever heard in my life. As a writer I dream of someone saying something so Daniel Day-Lewis worthy.  I didn’t see Lincoln, but I did see The Last of the Mohicans, There Will Be Blood and Gangs of New York. He was pretty awesome in all three. Intense. Intense is definitely the word for it, but he seemed very calm, humbled and grateful in his Golden Globe acceptance speech. And I know that writer definitely felt that sincere thanks.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those words flipped my switch today. It was a crappy one today, the kind that needs a do-over, but unfortunately you don’t get one. Once Sunday morning is gone, you can’t get it back and wishing for that to happen in the afternoon, just wastes the afternoon. So you just decide that it’s been crappy day and you wait until tomorrow. I mean not even my Live-Everyday-Like-It’s-Shark Week reminder toy, hanging out in  my pocket, helped me overcome the suckiness of the day. I pushed the button and everything for that JAWS sound effect, but that didn’t seem to faze me. The crappiness had consumed me. That’s the kind of day I had. It was so bad that I just tanked it at 4 p.m. I threw in the towel and just waited until tomorrow.  That’s what I was doing. I was waiting until tomorrow came. And as I was unsuccessfully trying to salvage some quiet moments in the evening just so that I could watch the Golden Globes then I heard his voice among the chaos of bedtime routine.

I heard him with his accent. Daniel Day-Lewis .. and then something changed.

I was going to write about the crappy day I had in detail,  with comedic spin and everything. But I heard Daniel Day-Lewis and he changed my mind. He flipped my switch. I know he wasn’t speaking to me, but nevertheless his words moved me. I’m sure it moved all writers. When someone appreciates your work so much that they give you an “Ooooooooh” compliment … it’s a total wow moment. Even for those who witness it.

And that was me … I was a witness and I sure wish I was that writer, because that compliment would have definitely made my day. It would have made my decade. Shoot, even century.

Well in truth as a regular human being I hope for something this spectacular said about me and that it’s not in my eulogy. It’s at a place where I can actually hear it. But to set the record straight I have had a couple of friends and fellow blogging buddies definitely lift my spirits with the power of their words. And it was like a Golden Globe highlight.

So Daniel Day-Lewis, I thank you for flipping the switch, for snapping me out of it, for giving me whatever time was left in the hourglass tonight, for the power of your words.