Raised in a house where one parent didn’t like us referencing deities in contexts other than debates against religion, I tend not to use them. It took me years to feel comfortable saying “bless you” to a sneeze, instead of purposefully “sh”-ing the “ss” . . . As in: blesh-oo!—And that’s not even a curse!—To say “bless you,” I felt as if I was misrepresenting myself to others and betraying my own beliefs/allegiances. Now that sense of guilt is gone, but many of the words feel unfamiliar to me… Even though I’ve gotten the clean “ss” into my responses to sneezes, I still find myself saying “geez” instead of “Jesus,” and “gaww dammit” instead of “God damn it,” etc.