“Oh!”

When Apple introduced the iPod, it was a real step forward for a portable music library.  They also introduced iTunes to make downloads easy.  That part of it scared me a bit.  It looked too easy to spend a lot of money, $1 at a time.

So I was taken by surprise one day when Cheryl came home and proudly announced she had purchased one.  Now tech purchases were not a natural comfort zone for her at the time, and her brother was a key part of encouraging her to buy it.  And she was pleased with her purchase.

My reaction was terrible.  It was the word “Oh”.  But it was the version of ‘oh’ that descends in pitch, ending with a something of a groan, and accompanied by a pained expression.  She was crushed.  She returned the iPod the next day.

I couldn’t find words to remedy the hurt.

Two days later I described the situation to one of my colleagues, Bill Toy.  Bill was absolutely the salt of the earth type of person.  He also happened to be brilliant in the market research arena that was his field, and perhaps part of that skill is understanding what affects the feelings of people.  I chalked it up to just being a very caring individual, full of zest, and the kind of person that you just feel good to be around.

Bill heard the story and chuckled with a twinkle in his eye.  And then he coached me on how to say “oh”.  He used the version of ‘Oh’ that you use when you are surprised, with a rising tone, but slightly extended, as if fully assimilating the situation.  It’s a pleasant and inquisitive ‘oh’, with a bit of an invitation to learn more.  He gave a few examples, along the lines of “honey, I invited my parents over for dinner tonight.”  “Oh!”  “Sorry, but I borrowed your favorite pair of pliers and now I can’t find them.”  “Oh!”  “The cat knocked over the lamp in your den.”  “Oh!”  I was chuckling, because now it seemed like the greatest general-purpose word ever for an awkward situation.

I went home and described the discussion I had with Bill.  Cheryl is fortunately very resilient and doesn’t hold a grudge too long.  Whatever grudge was left evaporated as I recounted the conversation.  Both of us ended up trying it out as part of a replay of some recent events.  We both liked how it works.  We were laughing at how well it fits.

Today, we both keep the word handy and use it liberally.  We both know exactly what it means, yet it has no sting, and we laugh when we use it.  It just means we probably need to talk a little more about it at some point.