Idioms
Idiom: noun: a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light ).
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
On another wild-goose chase.
Pure as the driven snow
Diamond in the rough
A different breed of cat.
Don’t get the cart before the horse.
My knight in shining armor.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
A pig in a poke
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Open a can of worms
Two peas in a pod
A bull in a china shop
A chip off the old block
Barking up the wrong tree.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Close, but no cigar
That’s the prompt that was presented at River Writers. It is a group that meets once, every month or so, to enjoy time together, writing! I’ve never been to a writer’s club before, but it sounded intriguing. Here is part of the email that was sent out, that made me feel like I could go, and not feel like a total idiot, amongst others, that are, no doubt, more gifted in their writing skills.
“Come if you care to test yourself, in a friendly atmosphere, writing spontaneously off of a prompt given at the beginning, or writing anything at all that you wish, in the company of friends and neighbors who are doing the same. All are invited. All are welcome. Hope to see you.“
After all. Why else would you go to a writer’s club, unless you loved to write. Then I realized that I love to write, even though I’m not always that good at it. I told everyone there, that I was not really a poet, or any good at prose, but I could tell a story, and everyone said it was fine to just tell a story. When I read all of the different idioms, I started to laugh to myself, because I realized I could tell a story with these idioms, and then I wanted to challenge myself, and figure out how to put all of those idioms into one story.
Idiom Idiocy
Is he my knight in shining armor or just a pig in a poke.
Perhaps he’s a diamond in the rough, or a chip off the old block
I know he’s not as pure as the driven snow but he’s no wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Am I barking up the wrong tree or would we be two peas in a pod?
They say curiosity killed the cat, but in for a penny in for a pound!
Am I jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, and on another wild goose chase?
The last time I opened a can of worms, it was close, but no cigar.
He might be a bull in a china shop, or a different breed of cat.
I’m the rolling stone that gathers no moss, so don’t get the cart before the horse!
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, so don’t bite the hand that feeds you!
I grant you those last couple of lines may seem a bit contrived, but they actually do work, if you live in my strange world! We only had a half an hour to write, after the prompt. It took me about 10 minutes to come up with that silly bit of prose. Even as I was writing it down just now, I thought of a dozen ways to make it better, but I left it just the way it was, when I wrote it, so you could enjoy my nonsense too. I put down my little book, I sat back, and I said out loud, “That was fun!”. It’s when I spoke out loud, that I realized there was such wonderful silence. I had a chance to sit there quietly, with others, and watch the geese swimming in the pond. Something that I’ve been wanting to do, since I first came out here, and simply hadn’t had the time. As I was sitting there looking around, at some of the young ladies, and men, it made me think about that Knight in Shining Armor, on so many ladies minds, or that Princess in a Tower, that men may dream of, and I got a little bit more serious. Thinking about what I might want, or what any of us might want, in a husband, or a wife. So I picked up my pen, and I wrote this next short piece.
Is There Such a Man?
A knight in shining armor. Is there such a man?
Sir Galahad of old. A proper gentleman.
Perhaps he’s just a myth? A fairytale of yore.
Dashing to your rescue! But I want something more.
A man who’s been through trials. Who knows he has his faults.
Who’s learned from his mistakes. A man who’s worth his salt.
Everyone was invited to read what they had written afterwards, and I asked to read mine first, so that I could be done being embarrassed, by the time everybody else had read theirs! It was a lovely time. Everyone was very kind. One gentleman even noticed that I had added one more idiom, as the last line of my more serious form. As the other people there read, and not everyone did, I was impressed with the extraordinary Talent that lives along our River. The leader for this session, had taken a lot of the idioms and turned them into all kinds of different fun. Then there was one young ladies Idiom stew, that you could eat, and there was idiom stew, where he took the idioms and stirred them all together. One lady told a story about a kitty cat that had nothing to do with any of the idioms, but was absolutely delightful. One of the younger girls had written such a powerful deep poem. One wrote such a good story, that we all want to hear chapter two next time. Another gentleman, of eighty plus years, wrote about his life, and the changes that he had seen since television came into being, that moved all of us. One lady wrote a post for a Blog that she’s just started, a funny, but true, excerpt from her Farm Life. One that truly touched my heart, was a poem about grief, that a gentleman wrote. He wrote that grief was as pure as the driven snow. He was apologizing because everyone else had written things that were so much fun, and his was so filled with sorrow. One of the ladies there said it would be a very good contrast. So he shared it with us. I told him that it touched me, deeply, because it made me realize, all over again, that it’s okay to grieve. I told him I usually hide my sorrow in humor, or try to present some of the harder things about my life, with the funnier side of my journey. That even when I was writing the more serious side, it was hard to go on, because the grief was… Then. I couldn’t say anything else. But, he smiled, understanding, and said “Because it was welling up from inside.” I smiled and nodded. It was a wonderful and precious time, spent with other people who love the power of the written word.
There was one other aspect about this time, that I need to share with you. I realized that I was hesitating going, because I was going to be doing something, that was just for fun. I have been trying to squish any kind of fun thing to do, like visiting with friends, into my time when I have to go into town. As a result, my time was usually Limited, not just in the amount of time that I would have, but also in how I was doing, because I was trying to fit so many things into a day. I have been so concerned about funds, and rightfully so, that I have tried everything I can, to limit everything that I’m doing, to what is absolutely, and strictly, necessary. I also realized, that I had hesitated to go in the first place, because it’s been so difficult for me to write. All of the confusion and chaos that the toxins of this world cause in my mind, are slowly being cleared up. To be able to write again, is a wonderful thing! To be able to share that with others, is priceless.
When I was listening to the sermon on Sunday, after going to this lovely writing party on Saturday, the pastor had a question for us. What does the good Lord want you doing, today, or next week? As I was praying, two things came to mind. I thought that I would share them with all of you, so that you would know that I have two distinct goals in mind. It’s called accountability, and I hope that you, Gentle Reader, will help me be accountable.
First. Despite the fact that I am doing a lot of walking out here, already, I need to have a scheduled time of walking, with my little Macha. My goal is to be able to get to the mailbox and back. It’s not that far, it’s probably only about a quarter of a mile, one way, but there are some very steep hills, which have been very difficult for me for a long time. I know that I can walk that distance and back, on flat ground, because I just did it on Saturday. It’s the hills that are a challenge. That would be a personal Triumph!
The other thing that came to mind? I need to, finally, sit down, and write that book. The one that the good Lord has been nudging me about, for such a long time. I have lost track of just how many people have told me, that I really need to write a story about my life. The interesting part, is that each time they ask, or tell me, that I need to write, it’s about a separate aspect of my life. Some people want to know about my time on the road as an entertainer. Many people want me to write about the life that I’m leading now, living in my tiny little camper. Others want to know about how I came to know Jesus. Those stories are so intertwined, that I think it will end up being a book about my life of Joy, in Christ. Because ultimately, He has been the Author, of my journey. Whether anyone reads it or not, I think it would be good to write about the amazing and joyful things, and even the hard and painful things, that have all been a part of this crazy thing, called life!
I’ve been praying about it, and there is one more thing, that I really would like to accomplish, before the good Lord brings me home. I would like to be able to record my music.
Until next time, Gentle Reader.
