Tag: spring

Mindfully, Melting

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

I routinely trudge through slow-melting snow, our first this winter, to feed my outside animals. The melting seems beyond a mere seasonal shift. It’s a transformation, stirring my senses and emotions. I see a thick, icy white blanket receding without yet revealing patches of earth and dormant grass. I’m always anticipating.

This wintery period feels like an “in-between mood.” Melting has winter loosening around here, but spring is far ahead. Our air is damp, water drips from roof gulleys, and underfoot it’s slushy, but winter still inhibits renewal.

My mood is complicated; it’s part relief, part impatience, and sometimes thoughtful. My imagination sees stark beauty in a frozen, dissolving landscape. It’s less defined as a gradual thaw releasing us from snowy brightness.

The earth is softening, and I’m eager for the earliest glimpses of green that promise more warmth. These days are stretching a little longer and increasing my energy, inspiring new planning. Yet, spring feels just out of reach; its slow arrival is frustrating. These gray skies, the oncoming mud, and this slow transition is a world not yet fully alive. Waiting makes me restless.

Watching snow disappear evokes a subtle mourning. Our first fresh blanket of snow softened the edges and quieted our world. I love seeing a snowy landscape reflecting the moonlight uniquely. At home, melting makes the landscape less crisp and pristine; it’s more messy, uneven, and unpredictable.

Melting is an in-between time for rebalancing our expectations and moods. This isn’t winter’s full-stillness; we’re not sensing new spring energy. I sense the melting snow tugging at my emotions as a “letting go” that forces another slow, inevitable shifting of anticipations and plans.

Dear Friends: Even in these deepest winter months, thinking, “Ah, Spring!” Diana

Stripings

Wednesday, June 05, 2024

As a department store salesperson, I often learn helpful things. Here’s a valuable tip: Choose striped bed linens because they clearly identify the long side.

By keeping that in mind, I’ve been encouraged to think more about “stripe.” It’s a word with a real-world meaning (aside from being a pattern, as on linens). In the real world, military and police forces have stripes on a uniform that “identify clearly” rank and power.

I’m interested in how “stripe” is used as a metaphor for earned experience or rank. Describing someone as having a “stripe” suggests a distinctive quality or trait. That way, “stripe” suggests a distinction, individuality, or uniqueness that sets someone apart.

We often hear the term “stripe” used in business, sports, and academia. We understand it as referring to “earned respect and recognition” and applied to someone who’s done good work and accomplished achievements.

I’m an informal writer who writes often. I’m always word-focused because English word usage and meanings are complex. Words often suggest much more than their basic descriptions, forcing me to consider sociology in general, historically, and in the present.

Dear Friends: It does make sense to appreciate the value of using striped linens. Diana