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Thursday, September 2, 2021

Thursday Thoughts...

"My life with Miss Sarah got off on a wrong left foot". 

Sue Monk Kidd

Oh my goodness, this simple one line describes so pitch perfectly how some relationships just start bad and head south from there.

I like the double-strength espresso-type description: a left foot; and worse still, a wrong left foot!
Awkward, clumsy, unbalanced, unsettled are all words that spring to mind as I read the description.

It somehow manages to convey that the bad start continued; and I feel for the speaker/writer who probably never regained any sense of certainty or sure-footedness from there onwards.

As I read it, I realised how many culturally absorbed norms we have about left (not being good, etc) and how often feet play in our sayings about certainty and uncertainty.

Surefooted, to wrong-foot somebody and so on.

Not much else to say about this one; just one of those delightful capturings of an experience, done with so few words...


And then there are relationships that get off on the right right foot! Munadillah was an exchange student with us way back in 2012. We hit it off with a blast. We have visited with her in Indonesia, and here we are in Warsaw where she was studying on a scholarship.  She travelled all the way from Norway to the cottage in Scotland in 2018 for a quick visit!  Some friendships are made in an instant...

6 comments:

  1. to which I would add the gentle admonition "no, your other left foot" ... which calls to mind the memory of my older daughter who could not remember her right from her left ... ballet class fixed that and these days, her middle child is just now starting ballet classes ... talk about foot-worthy

    and now, going back to look at the quote again, the author's name finally sank in ... I have read a number of Sue Monk Kidd's books and am thinking this may prompt me to do so again

    last: what a great picture ... I especially like the shades of green and coral framing your smiles

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    1. Love all of those stories Liz - foot worthy indeed! The Secret Life of Bees was one of my favourites ...such poignancy and love. I looked at the photo differently after you mentioned the green and coral framing - so true! My little pop of orange with red polka dots works grin.

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  2. love your beautiful photo of connection & please excuse me being a pedant but the quote is from Sue Monk Kidd!

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    1. Oh no thank you for your pedantry mo! I went back and changed it straightaway - of course it was SUE! Yes to connection and the joy of meeting up with friends...go well.

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  3. F - great opening lines to books and relationships set the scene. Great reminder shot of Munadillah. B

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    1. Thanks B - I was looking for a shot of that wrong-footedenss and none really sang to me; then I thought about a relationship that got off on the right foot so to speak and ta-da!!!

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.