Like Adam I'm glad you flagged up Ruth & Peco on memory and human depth. I left a 'comment-on-comment' last week mentioning the educational / literacy project still ongoing from Comenius, 1658; Orbis Pictus, or Orbis Sensualium Pictus.
And there is bodily understanding as you say. A friend / colleague / carpenter / joiner once 'read' to me a famous mediaeval door in Holland ... errors, corrections, compromises and all. Much needs passing on ... and mysteriously there is 'instinct' with its human and borrowed knowledge.
This week I was reading with better attention Seamus Heaney's introduction to his translation of Beowulf.
'Whitchurch Canonicorum' ... a long while back we visited much older fairly recently retired friends of my wife. They were active in the Church and the lady mentioned an at that time unrepaired water spout from the roof. Suddenly she shivered; 'a goose had walked over her grave'. This was Hardy country I suppose, and their 'absence' was profoundly felt next time we called by.
Oh, I love everything about this! I am a lifelong (amateur) dancer. I am (successfully so far) passing a version of this on to my daughters.
I am grateful for every opportunity in my life, not just the ones that match my expectations and desires. Still. I do wish I lived in a culture where Saturday night square dances in the village hall were a thing. I have, throughout my life found experiences that were kind of like such a thing……but, I wish I could somehow have that. But the closest living tradition I know of is across Canada in Nova Scotia. Can’t get there every week (it’s been 20 years) so I do the best you can and reading your article reassures I’m not crazy to feel this desire/loss.
What?! How do you expect me to live without knowing how the whale joke ends? Aargh!
I am so sorry!
Caro,
Thank you for the nudge to read Peco and Ruth's piece. It it important and very timely for me. Blessings to you, my friend. Adam
Like Adam I'm glad you flagged up Ruth & Peco on memory and human depth. I left a 'comment-on-comment' last week mentioning the educational / literacy project still ongoing from Comenius, 1658; Orbis Pictus, or Orbis Sensualium Pictus.
And there is bodily understanding as you say. A friend / colleague / carpenter / joiner once 'read' to me a famous mediaeval door in Holland ... errors, corrections, compromises and all. Much needs passing on ... and mysteriously there is 'instinct' with its human and borrowed knowledge.
This week I was reading with better attention Seamus Heaney's introduction to his translation of Beowulf.
'Whitchurch Canonicorum' ... a long while back we visited much older fairly recently retired friends of my wife. They were active in the Church and the lady mentioned an at that time unrepaired water spout from the roof. Suddenly she shivered; 'a goose had walked over her grave'. This was Hardy country I suppose, and their 'absence' was profoundly felt next time we called by.
PS And there is 'Uncle Fred in the Springtime'; racing certainties with the Empress and Purple Monarchs.
Oh, I love everything about this! I am a lifelong (amateur) dancer. I am (successfully so far) passing a version of this on to my daughters.
I am grateful for every opportunity in my life, not just the ones that match my expectations and desires. Still. I do wish I lived in a culture where Saturday night square dances in the village hall were a thing. I have, throughout my life found experiences that were kind of like such a thing……but, I wish I could somehow have that. But the closest living tradition I know of is across Canada in Nova Scotia. Can’t get there every week (it’s been 20 years) so I do the best you can and reading your article reassures I’m not crazy to feel this desire/loss.