Actually....

Actually.

 It is a completely overused word. A recent trip home for an extended period of time brought to my attention the fact that I overuse this word. Having the fact pointed out to me, I scrambled to find other words to say in place of this favored one. Veritably? Forsooth anyone?
My attempt to eliminate this word from use in conversations brought to my attention how often this word is, in fact, overused...by almost everyone. It borders on epidemic. Everywhere I listened, someone was saying "actually". Having given it  thought (not a lot of thought - I'm way too busy to ponder it extensively), I have come to the conclusion that there are a couple of reasons this word is so frequently uttered in conversation. I believe that it lies in the fact that so many people speak figuratively (see example 1) and with the use of exaggerations (see example 2).
Example 1: "He jumped off the bridge after living here for so long with no prospect of a transfer."=He was upset and disappointed after living here so long and finding out that he was not going to be transferred to another location. 
Example 2: "It was like 115 degrees here yesterday."=It was fairly hot here yesterday)

When they want to draw attention to the fact that they are speaking quite literally and without exaggeration they must point it out with the word "actually".
Example 1: "He jumped off the bridge after living here so long with no prospect of a transfer. No, he actually jumped off the bridge."
Example 2: "It was like 115 degrees here yesterday. There were actually heat advisory warnings because the temperature was so high."

Furthermore, when correcting the ignorance of another person, actually draws attention to the "I'm right" and "you're wrong". For example, when the local realtor told us that (this town) was such a great place to live and raise a family and my response, after living here, is "Actually, (this place) is not a good place to live or raise a family given the high population of completely inconsiderate, uneducated idiots."

Just in case anybody was actually wondering.