My “Book Of Wit”

I am a quiet person by nature and often times I fail to find the right words to express my feelings. Truthfully, being open about my emotions is becoming more difficult as I get older. Growing up, I was always told that I “wore my emotions on my sleeve” and that I was an “open book.” As I went through high school and college, I realized that I needed to be more guarded with my emotions. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way a few times and that it is sometimes better to keep everything quiet and put on a happy face.

When my own words fail, I often turn to the quotes and sayings of others to make sense of my emotions. Most of the time, I don’t share them with others, but rather, write them on a piece of paper and put it in a safe spot to refer to later.

At my Uncle Gary’s memorial service last Monday, one of my aunt’s read from “Gary’s Book of Wit.” In the last few weeks of my uncle’s life, he asked my Aunt Teri to compile all of the quotes, sayings, and Bible verses he has jotted down over the years, into one place. Some of the quotes were funny (my uncle had a spitfire sense of humor), but most were very thought provoking and touched me in a deep way.

My uncle and I did not have a lot in common, but this book of all his favorite quotes is where I found some common ground with him; our love of the words and wisdom of others. Words and sayings that inspire and help us express ourselves without using our own words.

Since his memorial service, I have started comprising my own “Book of Wit” (although I should probably come up with a different name because I will never be as witty as my uncle). I found all of those scraps of paper and Word documents and started to compile all of my favorite quotes in one central location.

The quotes come from my favorite books, poets, historical figures, and even television shows. They all hold a deep meaning to me because they each represent a different part or situation in my life. These quotes stood out and made some sort of small impact on me for a reason. Not all of them are serious; I have a few funny ones thrown in. My “Book of Wit” is just being started and I hope to have several volumes throughout the years.

My only wish is that I had known this side of my uncle before he passed. I would have loved to have sat down with him and exchange our favorite quotes back and forth.

I leave you with this, because I believe that it is appropriate for this post:

“Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we are quoting.” -John Green