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| an imbroglio to untangle |
To say the
least, this last year has been a crap shoot.
Massively cool things have happened, but there’s also been the stuff
that takes you out at the knees and kicks you while you’re lying in the dirt
crying like a baby. Am I looking for
sympathy, trying to make you feel bad? Nope,
think polar opposites. This past year was
a life of “Re.”
Re, the
little prefix we attach to words has a grand meaning: do again and then again, or to do something
you’ve already done. Awesome, huh?
In order
to have a life of re, you first need to have some “de” (removal, out of or
opposite.) Before this starts to sound
like a clever Dr. Seuss story, let me explain.
Sometimes we need to take things apart, deconstruct and edit.
Keep in
mind, deconstruction differs from demolishment. The first salvages, carefully saves and reuses. It’s time and labor intensive, but you end up
with a sweet stack of bits and pieces to repurpose. The sledgehammer approach, while quick and weirdly
gratifying yields a pile of, well you know what, the stuff that hits the fan.
Once the
yuck has been sifted and separated, re can get going.
Stepping back
for perspective, I’m spying the forest, even between the trees. There’s a lot of re going on: re-inventing, re-building,
re-connecting. The familiar became
mundane and I looked right past the groovy, blow-your-mind goings-on.
Is this progression
finished? Heck no…get real! But, one of my sort-of New Year’s resolutions
is to do something with that sweet stack of stuff that has been meticulously gathered. There’s gotta be a use for it, right?
Prefixes make a difference. Doin’ de and re…
Missy
If you have been mildly amused, challenged or inspired by what you have
read, please pass on my blog to a friend, colleague, family member or even
random acquaintance
Interesting post, Missy. I'm still left wondering though what you have de'd and re'd. I love prefixes and suffixes. That's how my dad taught me to master English. Breaking apart root words from prefixes and suffixes and getting the gist of what they meant. We had these dictionary challenges whenever he was around. I can't tell you how much it helped and he only had a GED. From that, I learned to read and understand unfamiliar words. But it seems you are referring to construction here? Curious.
ReplyDeleteAh, Marlene ... I'm glad you are left wondering. We've had so many things this past year that it would take more than a blog to share about - life, death, moving, changing. The stuff that happens affects you and deconstructs many preconceived ideas about how things should be. It is construction of the soul.
DeleteI love the story of how your dad taught you about English - getting to the root of words. No wonder you have such a good grasp on them! Are you in the writing class this term? I had a call from Pat last week. I left a message on her phone. Hope all is well!
this has been a year of crap shoot for sure...lots of de and re going on..Love your post..Mom
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mom. Speaking of re, when are you guys going to Mesquite?
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