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a life of re:

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


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Comments

  1. sewsavyJanuary 7, 2015 at 6:14 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy AJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:18 AM

      Ah, 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.

      I 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!

      Delete
  2. Wildlife Art by SylJanuary 7, 2015 at 6:56 PM

    this has been a year of crap shoot for sure...lots of de and re going on..Love your post..Mom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy AJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:13 AM

      Thanks, Mom. Speaking of re, when are you guys going to Mesquite?

      Delete

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