Wordless directions

Yesterday I found myself on the floor with two screwdrivers, a hammer, 25 different-shaped pieces of wood, 67 special screws, nails, or dealios, and measuring tape. I had just returned from IKEA and had a two-drawer cabinet to put together. And to give you an idea about how humorous this scene is…my drill is currently sitting on top of its case because I can’t figure out how to get the bit out of it. I don’t have a knack for non-sewing tools. Thankfully I do have a dad. And a cool one at that.

And yesterday I had IKEA’s directions. Which, if you’re familiar with them, they contain no words. None. In fact, there isn’t even a little disclaimer about being careful and not putting the plastic bag tightly around your face because it could, perhaps, maybe, cause suffocation. How interesting, I thought. I’m going to put this whole thing together without having read one single word. I will have just followed 13 pages of pictures with a little help from the smiley, simplistic IKEA direction man (who I'm guessing can't talk).

As I carefully laid everything out, I decided I was really going to like this. The directions didn’t tell me to use the hex screw, the truss, the slotted something or other, the capped thing-a-majig. They just showed me. I’d pick up a screw, inspect its shape and size, then hold it up next to the little IKEA man on the page pointing at the right screw. Looks the same to me! Perfect.

This got me thinking about other things in life that we could (or couldn’t) do without words. Imagine a recipe with no words. Just pictures. How the heck would you differentiate the spices I wonder? I think this would make trading recipes with my Cali friend much more difficult. Or how about following a sewing pattern?

And what about relationships? So often, you don’t have the correct words picked out for that person or time, or if you have them picked out, they’re not quite in the right order. They don't quite relay exactly what you mean to say. They can't quiet reach the level of ...whatever feeling...you're trying to express. Relationships and situations often have a way of rendering you speechless, I think. So, how about we just don’t use words? How could you tell someone you love him or her without saying it? How could you thank someone without writing a thank you note? What if you wanted to say I’m sorry without saying it? It’s kind of fun (and a bit challenging for a writer) to think about.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

Well, for the record, I successfully put together my little cabinet without any words (probably because it didn't require the use of my drill). And I’d really like to put some other stuff together without words too.