#4 Paradox

Paradox

 

            Winston Churchill once said, “So they [the Government] go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.”

        Paradox is one of my favorite words. Growing up in a house where different views on doctrine and politics was really not allowed caused me to hate disagreements. Learning that two seemingly opposing truths could be equally true has helped me to rest in a world of uncertainty. It doesn’t mean there are no absolutes. It’s more that our finite minds are sometimes limited.  

#3 The Scent of a Homemaker

The Scent of a Homemaker

(Cinnamon – ground)

 

        She loves the fall. It’s her favorite season. The crisp air, the leaves changing colors, walking to the farmers market to buy fresh apples. She loves the crunch of those dried leaves under her feet.

        It will be a long day and she knows she will be tired at the end, but she is filled with energy as she moves through the day.     

        The menu was planned days ago, the house is picked up but not spotless. She often has asked her dinner guests, “Which would you prefer, a clean house or a homemade pie?” There hasn’t been a person yet who has chosen an impressive home décor to homemade food.

#2 Suburban Ironman

Suburban Ironman
June 7, 2008

Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational
Decafalon (n):
The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

7:30 AM: Do I have to get up now to use the toilet or can I sleep 30 more minutes? The sun is coming through the window, but what day is this? Do I have any reason to get up and rush into action or can I linger through the morning?
Oh yea, this is the day I’m going to start eating healthier. Roll over, try harder to ignore the bladder.

#1 Memory – The Sixth Sense

Memory – The Sixth Sense
June 7, 2008
(Prompt – magazine photo of man & woman walking through a European town)

Traveling to Europe is an experience with sensory overload. Each step on the cobblestone streets sends vibrations through my body. The sound of my shoes on the uneven foundation keeps my focus on each step instead of the visual surroundings. My eyes race from architectural feature to natural environment.
What would it be like to live here? Not just visit, to really become a part of this community. Would the novelty of everything being foreign wear off quickly? How long before I stopped noticing the old brass rings for tying horses by the door? Would people here invite me into their world or put up with me until I moved away?
The best part is walking everywhere. One week in Florence and I physically feel better. There is strength in my body that I didn’t know was possible. Rushing to catch the train forces me to breathe deeper. Maybe that is why I feel more alive.
There is nothing like newness or should I say out-of-the-ordinary-ness to enliven the senses. They say scent is the most powerful sense for triggering memories. Strangely I remember the negative smell of some unknown German food more than I do the wonderfully positive aroma of the Italian food.
That is like me though. The negative (feeling sick) seems to be stronger than the positive. Or is it that the more unfamiliar has more impact?