Snapped this on impulse as we were walking through the woods. Then I saw it in the thumbnails and thought, "oh, I like that" Once again, however, the picture has nothing to do with the word of the day: tongue. I looked at Lucy this morning and wondered if I should have her run around like crazy until she was panting with her tongue hanging out. For me, that's a metaphor for a well-exercised dog, not a metaphor really, just a way to say "yes, that dog has been running around." Seeing a dog with its tongue hanging out makes me feel sort of the the same way I feel when I see a sleepy toddler or when I see a kid at the table with a good appetite. But, it was a morning for walking, not running as it turned out, so no hanging tongue pictures.
My mother used to pride herself in having held her tongue. Over the years I learned that it's usually better NOT to hold your tongue, that it's better to let it all hang out ... which is a good discovery seeing as how I am one of those people who don't really quite know what I think until after I hear myself say it. Terry is a bit like me in that way, though I'm not entirely sure that he listens to himself talk the way I listen to myself. He has been living with his mother and has just started a job. Joe and I drove down to pick him up for a weekend visit and were quite regaled by an outpouring of talk about his new job, which is apparently located at a place close to heaven on earth. I absolutely love that first outpouring when someone returns home from a trip, from any kind of outside home experience. The first telling of the story. The first sharing of an experience with one's habitual companions. I found myself simultaneously participating in the conversation and at the same time seriously holding my tongue. It was a strange feeling to go along with talking about Terry's new experience, to be laughing, to be asking questions, etc. while simultaneously NOT chiming in to express my opinion that no warehouse job moving product with a forklift could possibly be paradise on earth! And NOT commenting on the excessively loud and profane style of delivery. And NOT commenting that all the plans he is making for the upcoming paycheck (like buying a house) are not economically realistic. I knew that both the style and the inaccurate perceptions were quite irrelevant to the experience I was sharing, namely the overwhelming excitement of a new job and the prospect of earning some actual money for the first time ever. So I held my tongue and went with the flow.
Perhaps after all that's what this image is about - bridging over the imperfections to keep the dream intact... and I like the subtle shading in the undergrowth.
This photo perfectly fits the March word of the day that ties together with your narrative about holding your tongue, going with the flow, and bridging the reality of Terry's new life as seen in your eyes to the reality as Terry sees it.
Such an interesting way to see life. May God go with Terry as he enters the work place.
Such an interesting way to see life. May God go with Terry as he enters the work place.