Posts by Pat:
Ain’t English Funny?
As an ex-English teacher, I easily relate to how frustrating our language can be.
If you’ve ever felt stupid, then just read on.
(This little treatise on the lovely language we share is only for the brave!)
Here are some sample reasons why the English language is so hard to learn (and to teach!)
- The bandage was wound around the wound.
- The farm was used to produce produce.
- The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
- The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
- They were too close to the door to close it.
- Upon seeing the tear in the dress I shed a tear.
- I had to subject the subject to a series of questions.
And we know that there is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger and neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
And remember this “rule” from school?
So, some questions for you…
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
So what do YOU think of our language?
P.S. Why, when the stars are out are they visible but when the lights are out they are invisible? Just asking!
Be the Hedgehog
Are you the hedgehog or the fox? The concept is drawn from a Greek poem in which a cunning fox tries and continually fails to eat a seemingly simple hedgehog. The fox keeps plotting the perfect attack. He keeps coming up with new ideas to eat the hedgehog. The simplistic and somewhat dowdy hedgehog goes […]
A dozen kind ideas!
It’s easy to be kind! It’s smart to be kind! It’s fun to be kind! Are you up to a challenge? If you missed the opportunity to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness last week, take this next week and perform some acts of kindness. These suggestions won’t take long and you’ll be amazed at how good you’ll […]
9 Amazing Kindness Quotes
This week, Feb 12-18, is National Random Acts of Kindness Week. It’s so easy to forget those ever-so-important small acts that can make someone’s day, as well as making ours great too! I’ve selected some of my favorite inspiring quotes on kindness to share with you. Please let me know which ones are your favorites! 1 […]
Use the Physics of Dominoes
Got any dominoes in YOUR life? The Guinness Book of World Records shows that in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, the world record “domino fall” fell! With the lining up of more than 4,491,863 dominoes in a dazzling display, the record came tumbling down. In this instance, a single domino set in motion a domino fall that cumulatively unleashed more […]
3 reasons why today can be awesome!
Yep! You can be even more awesome than ever. And, that will make your day (and other folk’s day) more awesome too! Thank goodness that we can do this awesome bit day by day. It does feel more reasonable than trying for a longer stretch of time! So why do we know that today is […]
It’s sometimes hard to be happy
We’re “supposed” to be happy! And sometimes we try really hard to be happy and it still doesn’t work. Maybe it’s better not to try so hard to be happy? Maybe it’s okay to just feel okay. Maybe we could just become aware of moments when we’re not miserable! That would be a good start. […]
So What? Now What?
We can pretty much count on getting sidelined from time to time. And it’s important to not allow a setback become part of the larger story we often create around our “life of difficulties.” So what? Now what? We only need these four words! They’re perfectly crafted to give us perspective, unleash our creativity, and get […]
World Laughter Day?!
In honor of Tuesday, January 10th, known as World Laughter Day, I submit a few observations for you! We can laugh at ourselves and let the world laugh with us! Only in America…do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can […]
Easier for some people than others…
The new year is upon us, and that’s easier for some people than others. The election has happened, and that’s easier for some people than others. The winter is here and that means more dark and cold for a while, and that’s easier for some people than others. We’re getting older, and that’s easier for […]