Wednesday, March 06, 2019

Band...

Our word for today is "band" - it has many meanings. The first to come to mind is music - the camaraderie of music. People coming together to play instruments, sing, express joy. I'm not good enough to play my piano in a band, but my writing partner plays the flute and has joined a community band. I'm always amazed at the ingenuity of people who constantly create opportunities for anyone and everyone to continue doing what they love. In this case it's music.



I play very simple music on my piano. One of my favourite pieces is an old Irish folk song, The Black Velvet Band, with the lovely line, "Her hair hung over her shoulders tied up with a black velvet band." Here band is an adornment, a statement perhaps, maybe even an entrapment. I couldn't help thinking of another line from another song/poem, The Highwayman. It's a sad story, unfortunately much of what endures is sad. It is also a love story with a ghostly ending. It tells the tale of young woman who killed herself to save her lover, the highwayman. Her ghost still pines for him, as it plaits a dark red love knot (band) into its long black hair.



We mark "things" with bands - thin strips that allow us to identify or track items. We band birds, for example, even delicate insects to learn more about them. These creatures, in turn, have their own bands, stripes of colour that distinguish them from others of the same variety. We wear coloured bands on our wrists to make statements - bands of gold brand us as married. Electronic bands now measure our vital signs - heartbeat, pulse rate, kinetic activity. In groups, we band together to protest, to march for what we believe in, to pressure for change or to prevent changes we fear.



"Band" may seem like a simple word, however, it is a very powerful concept, loaded with meaning and subtext. Use it wisely!

The pictures? Bands from the archives.

Have a together day!

Sunday, March 03, 2019

Separate...

Our writing word for a while now has been "separate." It may be used as the verb - to separate or the adjective, as in something set apart. I have been away for a while, separated from my usual routines, separated from the time zone of family and friends by 7 or 8 hours and separated from the goals I regularly work on.



It is disorienting. Maybe time away is necessary to re-align ourselves or to make us think anew of what we are doing or trying to achieve. I'm not sure. I'm always like a fish out of water, when I don't have the usually structures of work, family, friends, pastimes, etc. to fill my days. I then "tag along" with others and do what they do or take myself away and read or work on something "from home," such as this post.



I have to remind myself, that I am a fixed sign, a Leo, and I prefer being rooted in my own little rut, however limiting that might be, then bowing to mutable signs, who would have me leave everything behind for a new adventure. Sigh!

I have often thought that maybe adventure should be my routine - a contradiction in terms, perhaps. No, I have trouble constantly moving from place to place. There is this need to set down roots, get organized, "grow" something. It's hard to grow anything, but tired, when you are in constant motion.



I don't mind occasional separations - time away to think. But, after a brief respite, let me get back into the busy whirl of "things to do, people to see, schedules, deadlines," all those things that give meaning to the "ahhh" at the end of a day.

The pictures? Random roots.

Have a regular day!!