Posts by Pat:
An Amazing Word…
Read until the end and just enjoy our delightful language!
This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word. This word is “UP.”
This one word in the English language can be a noun, verb, adjective, adverb and preposition.
Who knew?! Not this (ex)English teacher!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, you can look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions!
It’s easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and Fix UP the old car.
At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We do seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may end up UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, the earth soaks it UP. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now…my time is UP.
So…have some fun with our language!
A Taste of Wisdom
A Hindu parable recounted by Mark Nepo An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so one morning sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. “How does […]
Summer Daze?
It’s summer time (and the living is easy!) You know what that means right? Sure… barbequing, beaching, camping, boating, vacationing, picnicking, and sunbathing. But also potentially the utter collapse of our work momentum and productivity. It’s true, the dictionary even defines the “Dog Days of Summer” as “lethargy, inactivity or indolence.” It’s just the part of […]
Four monks’ story…
There is an often-told Zen story of four monks who decided to do a silent meditation for two weeks. By nightfall on the first day, the candle that lit their prayer hall began to flicker and soon went out. The first monk said “Oh, no! The candle is out.” The second monk said, “Aren’t we […]
It’s Up to You
FOOD FOR THOUGHT… One song can spark a moment. One flower can wake the dream. One tree can start a forest, And one bird can herald the spring. One smile can begin a friendship. One hand can lift a soul. One star can guide a ship at sea, And one word […]
Respond to “How are you?”
Start your day with a friendly “How are you?” But ask it of yourself! It is an opportunity to be reminded of what’s really true about you and your experiences. Imagine beginning each day with “How am I?” and then responding with one of the following answers: How am I ? I am strong. I […]
Why your June 10th is so important
Today is June 10th. In 20 days, 2018 will be halfway over! That’s crazy, right? It seems like just yesterday we were planning our goals for the year and feeling motivated about the future. Question for you–what have you accomplished in this near-half-year? Have you achieved what you set out to achieve? Made a dent in […]
And your choice is..?
Have you ever fallen down the rabbit hole that is Google? I spent an untold amount of time search for quotes that I might use when I write about what life is to me. And I found so many insightful and fun ones that I’ve decided this post will highlight eight of my favorites and, […]
Upgrade your attitude!
This was a challenging week. And I know from experience that choosing my attitude is essential! I remembered this post that I did over a year and a half ago and it seems really appropriate to use it for this week! There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the […]
Graduation or Commencement?
I shared this favorite story of mine six years ago and I still love it! Little Emma was 6 years old and in first grade. It was the end of the first week. When Mom picked her up from school, Emma bounced happily into the car. “How was school today, honey?” Immediately and very happily, […]