words with meaning

i am amazed by the numerous meanings and contexts of words. with intention or not, words and phrases can be taken as harmful, oppressive, and bias.
like today...i said that i was the master quilter. not really harmful in and of itself. however, i was talking about leading a group of people who would quilt under my direction. calling myself the "master" quilter was reminiscent of times of slavery with masters and their slave workers. wow. that's not what i meant at all, but it is a meaning that could definitely be understood in that moment. and i have to own that.
now that someone else pointed it out, i feel a bit sheepish. that, however, i can live with. in the future (which starts right this second), i will need to be more aware of that term as well as to other relational/hierarchical terms that i may use in harmful manners. slavery is not okay in my book, and it is important to me that my language is consistent with my beliefs. this is my overarching reason for seeking to use inclusive language. it is important to me for my beliefs and actions to align and demonstrate consistency.

we all mess up. we all need to be okay with messing up and being messy in general. social justice is a tough thing to work on/toward. it is messy and that is a fact. every day is a journey. i need to remember that as much as the next person...especially when i am feeling a bit sheepish.