Idiomatic Conversation

In case you've not figured it out, I'm an absolute cheese ball.  Sappy love songs?  Yes, please.  Happily ever after endings?  I'll take 'em.  Motivational quotes?  My middle name.  (The beauty of not actually having a middle name is that I can claim anything as my middle name without too much dispute.) 

Which brings me to my love for idioms.  One of the best gifts I've ever received was a book of idioms from my friend Jake.  And I must confess, my definition of the word "gift" in this instance is an item that a dear friend let another dear friend borrow, and here it sits three years later on the borrower's book case an ocean away from the lender.  In all fairness, he still has my copy of The Davinci Code. 

Back to idioms. I think my favorite, and most commonly referenced, is, "Hindsight is 20/20."  It really is often appropriate, and on several different levels.  If used correctly, it can also be a sure-fire conversation changer.  Take your friend who is obsessing over an awkward encounter.  After you exhaust your encouraging remarks of, "I'm sure it wasn't that bad," or, "Trust me, he didn't even notice you had asparagus stuck in your teeth," there isn't a whole lot you can contribute.  Smiling and nodding doesn't quite get it, so what do you do?  After aforementioned friend picks apart another detail of what she should have said or how she should have said it, simply say, "Well, you know, hindsight is 20/20."  There is absolutely nothing that can be said back to that.  Friend will stop, agree, and now you're back to discussing the crisis in Egypt, our looming deficit, or deciding whether you support Team Jacob or Team Edward. 

Note:  This post is not to encourage being an unsupportive friend.  It's more of a tid-bit to be kept on file for emergency conversations that may never end without this idiom's help or to stop your friend from dwelling on a topic to his/her own detriment and missing out on any fun that may be wasted by hashing and rehashing an event.

Beauty in the Breakdown

seasonal affective disorder: n. a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter, or less frequently than in spring, summer or autumn.  Also known as SAD, winter blues, or winter depression.

Say what you will about my self-diagnosis.  Even call me a wimp, that's fine.  I've come to this conclusion... I hate winter, and yes, I'm going to be a baby about it.  I know hate is a strong word, but really, where is the sun?!? Also, this whole snow thing gets kind of old when there are no benefits, and it never melts.  Thus your pants, shoes, and socks all end up sopping wet, your feet end up freezing, and you catch cold.

I never second guess my decision to move to DC, but some days that go by are easier or better than others.  In the end, I know all of these life lessons are being taught to me for a reason, and I can feel myself becoming more independent and self-aware. 

The song, though, that has stayed in the back of my head from deciding to move, packing my bags, starting life here, losing my job then my wallet, and now beginning a new chapter professionally, is "Let Go" by Frou Frou. I could probably write a book on the lyrics of the entire song and what they mean to me, but I'll spare you and just focus on the end of the first verse leading into the chorus:

Excuse me, too busy 

You're writing your tragedy

These mishaps

You bubble-wrap

When you've no idea what you're like

So let go, let go

Jump in

Oh well, what you waiting for?

It's all right

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

So let go, let go

Just get in

It's so amazing here

It's all right

'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown. 

To me, this beautifully depicts figuring yourself out.  The situations that you just try and brush under the rug and ignore are eventually going to come to light, so why not just face them head-on and see how you handle yourself?  So what if you mess up.  You get back up after jumping in, breakdown if you need to, then just go for it again until you get it right. Trial and error.  Who cares how many tries you make and how many times you fail.  What matters is taking the plunge to do what you desperately want but are terrified to, because in the end, regardless of the outcome, you're going to feel amazing for having tried.  

I'm a glass-half-full kind of gal and a sucker for inspirational quotes, so I love that this depicts breaking down as beautiful.  But really, it is.  Taking a risk and failing builds character.  

We're also never alone.  The way the song says, "It's so amazing here" is like the person is giving advice from a standpoint of already having arrived or having made the decision the other is scared of making.  The one to already take it has a peace of mind.  I kind of envision this as God telling us to just let go and give things to Him, jump into His grip, and that when we are breaking down and losing control, He finds us beautiful because we're yielding our lives to Him to be able to write our stories.  He's gone before us and is trying to tell us how amazing it is once we get to a place where we don't have to worry and can solely lean on Him.  Until then, though, here's to seeing the beauty in our breakdowns.