Daily writing prompt

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

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Not a “word” but a borrowing of authority. I like to name drop: Kierkegaard, Macquarrie, or some medieval collection of anchoritic texts. (See, I did it again!) Or, the worst of all, “the church says”. And, by doing so, I think I use the power of the person quoted as my own.

It comes from a deep-seated feeling that I always must be the “smartest person in the room”: to dominate with intellect to make up for the overall disappointment of me. Yes, I have a good memory and sometimes a clear picture of an idea, but I know I use it to dominate and escape my own anxieties and fears. And often I do not want to tell people what I mean in case they think less of me.

So maybe the “word” I should give up is “so-and-so says”. And replace it with “I think …”. Take ownership of what I say and not hide behind another person.