It's just...fill in the blank

It rarely rains in Florida during the "winter" but the other day was a drizzly day from the page of northern states. I know we need the rain and in my head I'm grateful for it but that doesn't mean I particularly enjoy being rained on.

So when I voiced my slight gripe to an acquaintance that day, her response didn't sit well. It was something like: It's just water. Exactly. Water that gets my pants wet in the parking lot. Water that makes my hair have extra "style."

Now this is a mild case of the "It's just..." condition. But it's symptoms can be easy to miss, often seen in phrases like the following: It's just a sprain...toughen up. It's just a ball game. It's just an extra 10 min a day of exercise....no big deal.

And while there may be valid reasoning even truth in these statements, what is just a simple fact of life to me could be a real frustration or struggle for someone else.

So unless you know someone well enough to offer this teaching sortof advice in a helpful manner, let's be careful with the words, "It's just.."

Because there is no such thing as "just words."