Lying in my bed, I was overcome with shame. Had I used my words to uplift others? I thought about this kid sitting in a jail cell somewhere—What is his grandmother doing right now? He had potentially thrown his whole life away, a demise maybe not caused but certainly provoked by my words. I knew for certain I didn’t want to be that kinda person. But my shame slowly began to give way to a staggering realization of the power of words. I knew that I had unconsciously caused my whole day—I didn’t know exactly how, but I knew for damn sure I had done it. I sensed for the first time that I wasn’t
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