Late afternoon sun streams through my teenage daughter’s window, spotlighting her as she curls cat-like on the bed, around scraps of paper, glue, a scattering of pencils and a tatty journal. In this tableau, her expression is serene and contemplative. The book is fat with scribbled notes, fragments of lyrics, a shopping list, a gig ticket – the seemingly trivial and ordinary alongside poetry and prose. She proudly shares with me the origins and significance of some of the scraps, mapping out their connections to who she is, who she was and who she hopes to become.
I find myself reflecting on the box beneath my own bed, stuffed with diaries from my youth, handwritten letters on flimsy airmail sheets and cards with words too precious not to keep. Books on shelves have inspirational quotes tucked between their pages. Others are dog-eared with quiet signposts to where I once lingered. Just as today’s social media pins hold on to moments of resonance from fast-moving feeds, these humble treasures are the map of my journey.
What draws a person to particular words? What compels the careful curation and quiet hoarding of phrases that soothe or ring true? The mindful, almost sacred practice of noticing and preserving words that resonate can create small archives that become deeply personal companions.
Why we keep words
The sense of recognition when a phrase hits home is often a mix of validation, clarity and connection. A cluster of words in just the right order can make a lonely experience like grief feel shared, and organise complex emotions such as love into neat, expressive shapes, like a puzzle piece sliding into place. Psychologists refer to the way our brains prioritise and cling to things that echo our inner world as ‘emotional salience’. In this way, language becomes a mirror, a map, a lifeline.
A hastily scribbled postcard from a dear friend is Blu-tacked above my desk. It was sent to me during a tough time and simply says, ‘Keep on trucking x’. Resonance doesn’t always arrive in the form of Nobel prize-worthy prose or poetry. Sometimes it’s a blunt truth, a card from a loved one, a scribbled note in your wallet or a well-timed text. These fragments are important, not just because of what they say, but the way they made us feel. Ultimately, the importance of language is not communication – it’s really all about connection.
Through the act of noticing words that touch us, a quiet acknowledgment emerges: of needs, of values, of those things that light up the soul.
A mindful act
The practice of slowing down to notice and gather the words that tickle, touch or move can be a meditative and grounding act. Tuning into everyday language with presence and curiosity can lead to meaningful discoveries everywhere. There may be an important lesson scrawled in chalk at your local cafe, a clever line on an advert on the train or something life-changing muttered in the supermarket queue.
Slowing down to savour and actively take in what’s being said and the way it lands can enrich experience and even relationships. Listening is not the same as waiting to speak. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that occur and are missed when a person is busy working out what to say next, rather than paying attention to the words being spoken.
You might want to try:
- Listening out for a quote of the day – something from each day that you’d like to hold on to.
- Slowing down when you are on your phone. Practise being mindfully aware as you scroll, savouring rather than skimming.
- A weekly quote swap with a friend whose opinions you value.
- A quote jar where you can collect the things you read or that people have said that made you smile, think or perhaps laugh. Reach into it every day or whenever you need a lift.
Precious cargo
Retrieving my own box from beneath my bed, I find an old essay from my days as a philosophy student. A line, neatly penned in calligraphy by a 21-year-old me, calls across the decades:
‘Language is the instrument of thought, and like the winged sandals of Mercury, it may aid the mind to mount the higher regions of thought and imagination. But it would be an error to take Mercury’s sandals as the source of his divinity’ – FR Leavis, Literature and Society.
A reminder that words are the vehicle through which love can be offered, wisdom imparted, experiences shared and distances bridged.
Downstairs, as I write, my daughter is now curled up on the sofa, the light is softer, the quiet, contemplative mood much the same. This time she is surrounded by a tangle of coloured threads, embroidering her jeans with the names of the bands she loves, a simple nod to the power of words to connect, to speak identity, signal belonging and to reach out quietly, one stitch at a time.
Perhaps you too are remembering some treasured text that you have tucked away? Maybe you are thinking of something in particular that’s been a comfort to you on your life journey? Hopefully you feel inspired to pay more attention to the words that touch you. Those that find you may just be the ones you need the most.
Ways to gather
Words that synchronise at soul level, whether quietly discovered in libraries, blared through speakers or even scribbled on the walls of toilet cubicles, can be a way to make sense of the world, to find meaning in experience. Gathering them together can provide huge comfort and inspiration.
The handwritten journal
There is something deeply personal about the tactile nature of a journal: the soft scratch of pen on paper, the unique loops, swirls, crossings-out and spontaneous doodles of your own hand. There is an undeniable charm to a well-worn notebook, spine broken from the excesses of scribbled thoughts and memories, and paper scraps layered with emotion and history. Curating a first-hand collection can feel both creative and reverent.
Digital collections
From notes on your phone to dedicated apps and boards, virtual options offer convenient and clever ways to store treasured words. With the choice to share or to conceal, these electronic notes can provide a web of wisdom or a more intimate compilation. There are even apps that can be programmed to offer words of encouragement and inspiration at opportune moments throughout the day. A pocket guru!
Treasure boxes and pinboards
Whether tucked away safely somewhere close or displayed prominently, it can be comforting to keep words in the form of objects: a ticket to an inspirational event, a heartfelt message in a greetings card or some prized feedback in an old school book. These concrete relics provide anchors to cherished memories and the emotions they hold.
Etched on the skin
For some, a single phrase or a few carefully chosen words may even find a permanent place on the body. An anchor, mantra or tribute preserved in ink.
Each method speaks to a deep human impulse: to hold onto what resonates. Whether written, stored, worn or tucked away, these gathered words reflect inner landscapes, marking moments that shape, soothe or shift the soul.
Kerry is a hypnotherapist, NLP master coach, mindfulness teacher and speaker specialising in women’s health. Find out more about her work at kerrydolanhypnotherapy.com, follow her on Instagram at @kerrydolanhypnotherapy or find her meditations on Insight Timer under Kerry Dolan