Footnotes to a Conversation, June 3, 2024
Prayer
“Spirit, use me today, / not in some miracle / that would make others marvel / and would make me proud.
“Not in the word of wisdom / that would stay in the mind / and make me always remembered.
“Not in the heroic act / that would change the world for the better / and me for the worse.
“But in the mundane miracles / of honesty and truth / that keep the sky from falling.
“In the unremembered quiet words / that keep a soul on the path.
“And in the unnoticed acts / that keep the world moving / slowly closer to the light.” [Grahame Davies, 100 Poems to Save the Earth]
72 Micro-Seasons
According to the traditional Japanese almanac, the year is divided into 72 micro-seasons. “These micro-seasons are heralded by natural phenomena, such as the first sighting of returning swallows, plums ripening or the unfurling buds of a camellia … Each new kō gently grounds us in the present by reminding us to observe the changes in nature. It’s exemplified by the Japanese word kisetsukan – an awareness or sense of the seasons.”
The peonies have just started flowering in Victoria, whereas in Japan you can expect to see blossoms from April 30 to May 4. Peonies were “introduced to Japan from China more than 1,000 years ago. Popular with Chinese nobility and the Japanese imperial court, peonies have retained this majestic association through symbolism, representing honour and nobility.” [The Guardian]
Piece of Cake
The award to the most accomplished dancers in 19th century African American dance competitions was a slice of cake, and the competitions became known as a ‘cakewalk’. “Such events frequently took place in black slave plantations in the southern states; perhaps it was in their offering of a necessary distraction that the answer to the modern use of ‘cakewalk’ lies – as a metaphor for anything that is considered easy or, as the expression has now become, ‘a piece of cake’.” [Susie Dent, Word Perfect]
Buona Notte
Eye masks and aromatherapy, guided meditations and an AI-assisted bed: they’re all on offer when you book a sleep tourism package at a London hotel. The idea seems silly at first until the journalist realizes how regularly she fights “genuine tiredness, unable to surrender to it given all the pressing needs of work, family, dogs ... just life.” Classic customers are “knackered new mums on their first night away from their kids and frequent travellers who build a sleep-focused stay into their schedules.” [Elle Decoration]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.