Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I find myself using the word ‘hate’ a lot recently. As in “I hate rain.”  “I hate geese.” “I hate colonoscopies.”  And I’ve experienced them all.

Still, I think I want to tone down the rhetoric, as ‘hate’ is a terrible thing. It’s overwhelming, vile.  And not really indicative of my feelings.

I dislike rain intensely.  It fuels depression, even though I know it’s good for the flowers and the farmers.  I disdain geese because they are dirty, inconsiderate, and arrogant.  They chase away ducks, poop everywhere, and peck on our front door, as if I owe them a meal. Would you want neighbors who did that?

Finally, colonoscopies.  They’re not pleasant, but they do provide information as to what is going on in one’s insides.  When you have a multi-generational history of colon cancer in your family DNA, as I do, it’s wise to swallow one’s distaste of the procedure.

But do I ‘hate’ these things?  Not really.  What I do hate is racism, sexism, age-ism, and anything that is violent or sadistic. So I’m retiring the word ‘hate’ from my common vocabulary and relegating it to the most heinous acts I hear about.  I’m sure there will be no lack of use for the word