Sunday, February 3, 2008

Turning a Corner; or How to Beat a Metaphor to Death



(I know this is a crappy picture. It was a quick, Sunday morning photo shoot, and unblocked lace...)

Anyway, if I were some Famous BloggerTM, I would use this post to wax poetic about the act of turning corners. I would, perhaps, mention the election, analogizing the long trek up the side of the shawl as the primaries, and how we as a nation are poised to turn the corner on seven horrible years of an administration that we'd like to forget, but whose damage, unfortunately, we must now try to repair. I'd say that turning that corner is like looking to the future, which we'd all like to do at this point.

I could even mention that yesterday was Groundhog Day, the point at which winter turns the corner and we start heading toward spring. Everyone's heartily sick of winter now, right?

I could talk about my oldest son, who's finishing up elementary school this year. He's certainly poised to turn the corner from little boy to big guy -- entering middle school, starting puberty, becoming more independent. This is certainly a transition year for him. Friendships are realigning along different fault lines, as kids try to decide who they're going to be. It's not been an easy year for him, poor guy, and I hope the corner turned into middle school brings him into new focus.

But then I'd remember that after this corner is another corner, which would take me.... back in the opposite direction. What would that mean? And then there are more corners, and we're working round in a circle. A circle, hmmmm. Circle, cycle, circadian...


So, as we look forward to change in politics, will we head back where we were? Politics is cyclical, after all. We've swung to one extreme, and now it's time to turn back.

And we all know that the seasons are cyclical as well. We look forward to the turn toward spring, when all that growth and beauty wakes us from our winter's discontents. Then summer comes, hot and sticky, with the dreaded mosquitoes and the endless Washington heat, and we look forward once again to turning that corner to fall. Fall! Crisp air, pretty leaves, school starting again, the mad dash from Halloween until New Year's, when we'll start longing for spring again.

And that, my friends, is how we beat a metaphor to death.

1 comment:

kippi said...

Your title says it all. You are now the champion metaphor beater. :-)

At that point in your edging is where I would be so ready to be finished.

Elementary school graduation is quite the milestone for both parent and child. I will give you a heads up that Middle School is tough. Mostly for social reasons. It might be a smidge easier for boys (??) but middle school is where mean girls get meaner. I was fortunate that my daughter is quick witted and could stand her ground. Good luck to you on the middle school adventure.

I have a new goal of knitting one pair of socks a month. I finished my wick socks and now have found a pattern for short socks that I am liking very much. I found it via ravelry: http://mindofwinter.prettyposies.com/archives/000169.html I am using some Colinette Jitterbug. The yarn is nice. I thought of you because it really does look like clown barf. Seriously. But these socks are short and will be fine with my converse.

I did get the STR yarn wound. Still haven't decided what pattern I will use. How are yours coming along? Are they fitting okay? I read on the STR site that people are having fit problems.

It is hot here today! 83 degrees and rainy. Boo on the rain. Hope your Monday is great. :-)