A Great Lot of Contemplation!

Day 3 of the April vacation and I have been thinking.  The thing is, when I’m on holiday I have far too much time for silent contemplation.  I lie in bed with my eyes closed and remember the past.  If only, I could forget it.  I sit in my ikea chair in the corner of my bedroom and I look at nothing in particular as I wonder what to do next.

I have grand plans.  I have learned from experience that grand plans often end with grand disappointments.  Therefore, I take my grand plans and make them smaller, simpler and a whole lot less grand.  Then, I am far more likely to have some grand feeling of achievement.  You see what I mean? The fact that I have thought this through, enough to put it in a blog post, proves that I spend too much time thinking ridiculous thoughts.

Great Art

I have been drawing and colouring in old sketches.  I love sketching and tracing and shading and colouring and hatching.  It is relaxing and I get to escape into a land that is merely two dimensional and far easier for me to manage.  My sketch and colour book has no rules and no critics (apart from me).  Look at my pretty flowers.

Pretty, Pretty, Pretty!

 



The Great Honesty of Children

Last week I went to the hairdresser and got myself a perm.  I was very pleased.  The curls are quite small, but when it settles - and it is - they will be just right.  At the end of the day, I'm the only one who has to like my hair, and I do.  But, that is not all there is to it - this week.  Everyone feels the need to say something about the big style change - the nephews and nieces are no exception.  Here are some matter of fact words from Nephew number 4.  

"M, your hair is really curly.  You look ridiculous."  

As if this delightfully uncensored opinion wasn't enough, Mr number 4 felt the need to share.  When we reached the top of the stairs - entering the family home - he announced the following.  

"Hey Dad, M looks ridiculous!"   

My bro-in-law, smiled and shook his head.  My sister laughed, "You gotta love that kid, he tells it as he sees it."  

Ever the teacher, I informed my dear nephew that telling people they look ridiculous is unkind.  I suggested that next time someone gets a new hair style that he thinks is silly, he could smile and keep it to himself.  
This advice probably fell on deaf ears, but we will see.

Gotta Laugh

Great Silence

I love this pin!

Some people detest silence.  Admittedly, there are times when the silence has been so loud, my ears have trembled with the ringing and the buzzing within them.  This is not a 'great' feeling.  There was a time when I couldn't cope with any silence whatsoever.  Science of buzzing aside, the silence seemed to be a transporter to the past.  Almost as soon as the silence fell, I would find myself suddenly in a different time and place.  I was lost in my memories - unhappy memories.  I would sink deeper into the shaft of my past.  I would see faces, hear the words that had already pierced my ego and - worst of all - I would feel the grief all over again.  The tears would prickle my eyes, the words would echo in my ears and my chest, my stomach sank and my heart ached all over again.  There is no wonder that I feared the silence. 

Now - the world is different.  Silence is my friend.  I crave it;  Not for the purpose of wallowing in the mud of my melancholy memories; but for the simplicity it brings.  Now, the silence reminds me to just be.  In the silence, I breathe, I wait, I think about where I am and what I am doing in the moment.  I close my eyes and embrace the curtain that hides the world from view.  I let the sun shine on my face and the wind brush past me.  The silence reminds me to relax.  In the silence I hear the whispering - "Be still and Know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) - I know that all is well.  If only for a moment - I know peace.  Then, I usually fall asleep.

So, embrace the silence.  Don't use it to say a prayer or sink into darkness.  When there is a Great Silence - breathe - be still - and yes, be silent. 

Great Thoughts about Words

It is sad that so few people use the word "breakfast" as a verb in the past tense.

Example: I breakfasted with my great aunt this morning.

The words 'Google' and Facebook - once nonexistent - are now verbs as well as nouns.  Yet, using breakfast as a verb seems to be a lost art.

~Sigh~

We manipulate language to suit our needs, right?  So, if a word no longer serves its purpose - and is therefore no longer used - does it cease to be real? Does it it simply die?

I can imagine a museum of dead words.  Lined up in glass display cases, individually lit, each word is accompanied by a visual representation and a definition.  Surrounding each word there are photographs of the people who used the word and above it (pride of place) there is a photograph of the person who created it.  Of course, many words are so old and have been used for so long that their true creators are not really known to history.   There is a large diagram in the foyer of this word museum that shows how the dead words are related.  A word family tree as big as the wall is mounted and framed with 24 carat gold letters.  Where even the words that have died are reverred and honored.  Children learn about them in school and take field trips to the hallowed halls of the language history museum.  I can see it.

It will never happen of course.  We don't think that way.  When old words die they are replaced with different words - newer words derived from the old- with different meanings.  Each word has a life of their own and works with other words to serve a purpose.  They provide letters and meaning to create new words.  Then they die.  How is that for an interesting metaphor of humanity? Or is it?

Thank you for coming on a ramble with me today.  I hope it made you think.  What words have you stopped using?  What words do you wish were more widely used?  What words do you wish would die?

I love Wednesdays!