My heart wanders out into dusk Not quite night; No longer daylight. Stars wink behind a light veil of clouds Reflecting off of the shimmering, blue-gray surface of the water.
“Where are you going?” I asked. My heart looked back and shrugged. “Off to the forest where once I found in dappled sunlight the Love of Life. Then, across the Savannah in search of Hope Immeasurable.”
“But, what if the Beast of the Forest who hides among the flowering Rowan should appear? Or, the ravenous Lion of the Great Grasslands? Surely, you will be devoured!” said I.
With a gleam in his eye and lilt in his voice, he said, “My Friend, how can I know the exhilaration of living without a life fraught with such things? How can I thank the Heavens for Life and Light if I have not seen the possibility of Death and Darkness? Where is Joy when there is no sorrow?”
I nodded and watched as my heart turned toward his destiny and wondered, “Shall I ever see him again?”
Well, it’s back to work today. I enjoyed a little over two weeks off over the holidays. I really could get used to that! Most of the time spent was very good. I needed the rest. Plus, it was really nice navigating the season a more leisurely than in some years.
I alluded to changes coming in the New Year in a post yesterday. 2020 is shaping up to be unique in many ways. I’ll get to each as I am able. Right now, though, I’m considering Words.
Most people consider words and language as a means to an end. We communicate our wants, needs, and desires in a manner that others can understand. We see a color and say, “That’s red!” Images may come to mind like a fire engine or a nice, ripe apple. From there we may associate the smell of smoke or the fragrance of apple pie. We can feel the firmness of the apple’s flesh in our imagination. That may trigger a memory of a baseball. Or, perhaps the opposite. The softness of a peach. And, that in turn, may send our neocortex into overdrive with myriad sensations cascading through our mind.
All because of “Red.”
Words are far more powerful than many of us consider. In ancient Greece and Rome special schools were established for the sole purpose of teaching students how to shape and form words. The schools of rhetoric flourished and great orators gained renown for their ability to shape, not only words, but the thoughts and opinions of those who listened to them practice their art.
And, art it was!
People could paint pictures and sculpt monuments using only words. Civilizations flourished and fell because of words placed in their proper, (or, improper), places. A slip of the tongue could cost thousands of lives. On the other hand, a well craft oration could establish Queens and Kings.
Today words have largely become common currency in the culture. Yes, they still contain a modicum of power. Fortunes can be won and lost because of a timely slip of the tongue. But, tomorrow someone else will say something that will undo that in a heartbeat.
We have lowered the importance of language to the point that it is merely one of many different media to consume. From television and radio, to books and magazines, we eat words to satisfy an appetite. When the effect wears off, we hunger for more. It seems that an unending supply of tasty words are available for us to gratify our hunger. We become gluttons for more words to stroke our egos and indulge our baser appetites. One simply needs to see the content of Facebook or twitter to experience this.
Words are Power.
Even in the diminished form in which we hear and see them today, they are Power.
First, I wish that you all will have a happy and prosperous New Year in 2020. The ball dropped. The old is past. Hope looks ahead.
Many of us look to this date as a resetting of the clock. We are full of optimism and hope for fresh changes in the twelve months that lie ahead. Resolutions for personal improvement and growth are made once the effects of last night wear off. (Hint: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!) Then, by February the resolutions are largely forgotten and we get on with life as usual. In my entire life I only made one resolution that I successfully implemented. That was to never make a New Year’s resolution. I have kept that one.
I am not going to have the luxury of allowing life to simply carry on as usual this year. There are changes coming that will upend the routines that I’ve spent nearly 50 years building and reinforcing. They say that time waits for no one. This year is proof of that.
And, I have to admit to no small amount of fear and uncertainty. Any changes that come our way cause anxiety. Major life events, no matter how well prepared for, bring that anxiety on steroids. I remember how my wife and I walked into marriage 43 years ago. Yeah, there was great joy and celebration. But, our lives were changed that day. We looked forward to our life together with optimism and fear. A strange emotional cocktail. We drank it, however, and for better or worse we have muddled our way through.
We looked forward with happy expectation as our children entered the world and joined us on this journey. Again, though, worries and anxiety came to the party. How would we be as parents? Concerns about finances, health, housing, education, etc., etc., etc. clouded our minds every day. Life as we knew it had changed forever.
We watched as our own parents aged and walked on from this life. Our friends and siblings grew up and apart over the years. People change. That’s part of the journey, isn’t it?
And, still we trek on. Putting one foot in front of the other. In the midst of, or perhaps, in spite of the anxiety.
The alternative is to stop walking. The result of that is to wake up on the wrong side of the grass.
All of that to say, 2020 will be a year of profound change for us. And, yes, I am afraid of what lies ahead. It is an unknown. If thar be beasties out there, then we’ll meet them together.
Perhaps, though, there is a new world awaiting us with new joys and gifts and promises.
I was going to post this yesterday. But, I ran out of time. Kinda like so much else last year.
Goodbye, Old Friend! You came to us with a shout of gladness, Clad in diaper and sash.
Quickly you grew in harmony with the world around us. From infant to child. The green shoot echoing as it pushed through the frost.
You blossomed into a young adult. Full of promise; growing in Strength. You worked among us and shared the fruit of your labor. We all ate and were satisfied.
All too soon, we saw white, like frost on the grass, appear in your hair. Like the naked trunks of trees, lines began to crease your brow.
Now, your departure is at hand. It is with profound thanks that we sing this final goodbye.
As I considered the passing of the year I couldn’t separate it from the cycle of life that we experience here. As the world around us stirs and grows from the cold of winter through spring planting. Sowing and reaping; hope and gladness. Until the circle is joined as we bid farewell to our old friend.
