June – Page 4 – Creative Meanderings

I am a cynic.

It’s true.

You might be surprised by that if you don’t know me very well. If you do, then you’re probably sarcastically saying ‘no way?!’. 😛 (I hope so, anyway!)

While I was always in awe of former teachers and professors who could quote Shakespeare or the poetic words of the greats, I never truly understood why it was a valued talent. Other than for those who go on to performance-based activities, what useful purpose does this serve?

Furthermore, why do we celebrate the skill of memorizing someone else’s work? Is that really the only way that we can prove or express that we are “learn-ed”? How flattered can the dead be when you quote their work? If you’re still alive, is it truly the highest form of flattery you aspire to receive – to be quoted by others?

These days, it’s almost impossible to scroll through a social media site without reading a posted quote from someone other than the person posting.

Beyond that, we find music, movies, and other aspects of pop culture simply repeating classics or successful predecessors of the genres.

Perhaps, it has always been this way. Or, perhaps, it was the way before we could access information at our fingertips to recall the words of the wise. However, with the changing times, I’m still an old-school cynic. What’s the point of repeating or quoting what others have said without some sort of addition or revision of it?

Now, I’m a fan of the reduce, reuse, recycle mentality. I love it when I see creative ways of re-purposing something whether through mash-ups of songs, turning plastic bottles into shoes, or a new version of Anne of Green Gables. I can get behind this type of ‘change’.

I suppose in academia, receiving a number of references for your work is considered status-worthy, but even then, the best academic papers take referenced work and make them into something new or use it as a foundation to rationalize the contribution to the chosen field.

In any case, my brain is already stretched thin within the capacity that I am able to use it. Therefore, I really don’t feel or see the need to repeat the words of other people.

Additionally, I find it extremely lazy to simply paste a quote into a screen and pretend that I have said it without any expounding of my own opinion or perspective to explain why I am sharing someone else’s expression.

When I scroll through my social media and just see quotes instead of pictures and comments of what is going on in my contacts’ lives, then I swipe up passing posts without any connection or interest. This seems such a waste of my time and others’ for bothering to post it.

So, this is my social observation lately (related to an upcoming post topic), and is not meant to offend anyone. I mean, it’s your social media site and it’s your privilege to put whatever you want on it; just as it is mine to ignore it and ponder at the true purpose of the action. 😉

For me, I want to use my own words as much as possible to express myself in my way. Call me radical, or better yet, just call me cynical. 😀 (But, is it really?!)

And, for those readers who would like to disagree with me, feel free to justify or explain yourself! I love a healthy dialog!!

~T 😀

My obsession with true crime podcasts and (audio)books can sometimes necessitate a bit of a step back to process the dark issues that can come up from listening to these kinds of stories.

Inevitably, one part of these stories is the search for the victims.

In some cases, they are rarely or never really missed due to dysfunctional families and relationships. In other cases, days can go by before anyone begins to worry because the person is independent or known to go off the grid at times. Then, there are those who cause instant worry if they aren’t heard from for even an hour.

I imagine that I’m some version of the latter two cases. However, I have recently contemplated just how long would it take for someone to miss me?

Out of interest, I asked my BFF and husband how much time they think would pass before realizing that I was gone.

My husband said a good eight hours, and the BFF claimed shortly after my husband noticed since he’d probably contact her first after realizing I had been out of touch.

This is not an unreasonable amount of time in my opinion since a regular work day keeps us busy and we don’t have to be in touch all the time. Still, a lot of bad stuff can go down in that amount of time….

Taking it a step further, the extension of this question and in many stories is – how long would you keep searching for me if I were missing?

Perhaps these are morbid questions influenced by the podcasts I listen to and the books I read. Still, no one wants to think about these truths unless forced to, but what’s the harm in having a plan like an evacuation pack or prepping for the end of times?🤪

I kind of liken it to when my grandmothers were getting on in age and it became somewhat worrisome for them to live on their own. So, they called my parents every night to check in. This is a good plan and it’s nice to be in touch regularly with those whom we care about.

So, seriously, how long do you think it would be before anyone would notice you were gone and how long would they keep looking for you? 🤷🏽‍♀️ Do you have a plan in place in the very unlikely event that something like this happens?

~T 😀

One of the problems with communication is using the most accurate wording to express our ideas and thoughts.

As a child, I learned how to record conversations in my head when someone was arguing with or mad at me so that I could pick it apart later to replay what I would or should have said back to make myself understood. Of course, it would be too late (unless the same topic came up again in an argument 🤭), but it helped me with future similar situations.

One thing I tend to do is focus on particular words and require exact explanations as to the other party’s true meaning. 🤔

Taking a semantics class in my MA program exacerbated an already “unhealthy” interest in words as now I had theory and deeper knowledge about the exact meanings of our word usage. 🤓

It’s probably less of a surprise then that I chose to become a professional language teacher. 😜

Anyway, because of this, words and phrases that I hear repeatedly stick in my head as I process what is really meant by them – especially if they are used by different people who do not necessarily know each other.

Recently, one such phrase has been:

~ is getting there

Where is there? What is there? When is there? What’s so special about there?

It seems to me by its usage that wherever or whatever there is, it’s made up and often unreachable.

I want to ask people when I hear “I’m getting there” or “He’s getting there” what that means really?

Obviously, we don’t have to question the literal understanding as a physical location, but what about the figurative? Can I or you or he or she or we ever get there?

If we can’t, then why say it at all since it just sounds defeatist? If we can, then why not just say exactly what the goal is?

Perhaps, it’s because we really don’t know what there is, in which case, I ask why use it at all?

In any case, I hope I’m getting there in understanding what is meant with this phrase….🤷🏽‍♀️

~T 😀

I’m sitting waiting on a stranger’s back deck listening to the beautiful sounds of nature.

The birds are singing to one another and the trees are whispering their secrets spreading from one leaf to another like ripples that turn into waves that crash up on the beach.

I’m reminded of this book I read late last year: The Hidden Life of Trees, and wonder what old stories are being told in the whispering breeze.

The last month’s challenge has propelled my mind towards contemplations in trying to understand the stories both being and wanting to be told with those needing to be heard.

For no story is ever meaningful unless the listener is ready to receive it. 🙉

My hope is to write the stories waiting to be heard. Or, like the quiet whispers of the trees, in sharing my life stories, one realizes it was just what s/he was waiting to hear. 😉

~T 😀

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Creative Meanderings

How long would you search for me?

Wordsmithing: ‘there’

Whispers

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