Certain Death Is Possible

...really? You really meant to say that?....

For those of you who know me, I am not a journalist of any sort, but I am a lover of words. Few things are as powerful as well crafted wordery (my newly made-up word of the day). Words evoke all manners of emotion. Those who write, or attempt to write (like me) , know the value and impact of words.

So I was surprised, driving home from work as Hurricane Ike was making its way to Texas, that I heard a reporter utter, "...certain death is possible..." Thank goodness I wasn't drinking anything. I would have shot the beverage through my nose onto my dashboard.

Think about it for a moment. Certain death is possible. Let that marinate in your noggin. Certain death is possible. Who writes their copy? If death is certain, how could it be possible?
Everyone knows death is certain. We are all going to die at some point. Maybe you'll certainly die, maybe you won't. Maybe it will be partial death. Maybe you'll be revived after dying. Would that be quasi-death?

To be sure I wasn't the only one who found this amusing, I called a couple of friends. Same reaction as mine. Of course, we were not laughing at the tragic situation brought to bear by Ike; however, it was nice to find some humor at the expense of the poor reporter. I know he was trying to convey the gravity of the situation. He was very serious while reporting on the rising water and possible tide surge.

Certain death is possible. Pigs flying is possible, too.