I watched way too much TV as a child.
To this day, one of my more dubious accomplishments is the ability to sing, word for word, assorted advertising ditties and intro music to insipid situation comedies from the 1970s.
Conversation is like a gentle walk in the garden, one in which there are many beautiful phrases — like flowers — to enjoy. Promenade, art print from Steve Henderson Collections
I also remember, though I don’t want to, a lot of inane phrases which at one time were considered cool, like,
“Sit on it!”
As middle school and high school students, my friends and I thought ourselves astonishingly witty to parrot this phrase from Happy Days, a show that purported to celebrate the joyful frolics and innocent antics from those perfect, halcyon 1950s. Whenever we wanted to put anyone down, we rolled our eyes, looked askance at the offender, and said,
“Sit on it!”
Oh, what scintillating wit, what sparkling word play!
Not.
Remember that one — Not? It dated from . . . sometime. Like Awesome. Rad. Or Oh . . . you bad.
If you don’t recall these, that’s okay, because they’re a fleeting part of our culture only because TV or movies, pop culture music and talk shows, government or mega-corporation sponsored public relations firms, propaganda posters and memes, slick magazines, and more make them so, pushing a phrase into our lexicon that people use to seem cool or savvy or in the know, but oddly aren’t, because EVERYONE is using it.
The artwork, Promenade, is an invitation to us to recapture our individuality, to engage our creativity, to take delight in the words we say, the phrases we employ, the way we interact with others.
A young woman strolls through the most delicious garden, a landscape filled with an abundant variety of flowers and flora. A slightly mischievous smile plays upon her lips as she peeks ahead of her, head tilted.
One gets the idea that when she speaks it will be with a lilt in her voice, and the words she uses won’t be trite, inane, expected — a mindless and obedient repetition of trendy, shallow, promoted expressions. She chooses from a rich repertoire of parlance, a variety as artistic and colorful as the flowers that surround her.
Her words reflect what is going on in her mind, and her mind is free.
Thank you for joining me at This Woman Writes. Posts complementing this one are
Explore a World without Walls or Fences
Quiet People Have a Lot to Say
All of the artwork in my blog is by my husband Steve Henderson, a fine artist who creates work to celebrate joy, thinking, individuality, and love for family and friends. You can purchase his work as prints at SteveHendersonCollections.com or https://2-steve-henderson.pixels.com/.
This Woman Writes by Carolyn Henderson 