Entirely Elephant

Entirely Elephant

Our writing community is like a social club, whose saloon-style doors are always unlocked.  I often stop in at the lounge, at the most extraordinary times, without conversing with anyone, simply flitting from one personality to another, taking in words at each site, and dashing home to reflect on them.  I often visit, sample, and retreat, contemplating what I have encountered, and letting it drift around inside the expansive sawdust repository, which comprises my brain.

All that sawdust mixes with the more substantial fodder gathered from my journeys, and combines to form tangible evidence on the monitor in front of me.  Words jump out at me in black on white, and I await to see what has transpired.

The other morning I arrived back, simply thrumming inside from a new word I had encountered.  I find it as provocative to meet a new word, as I would to have a new follower join my site.  Admittedly I can accommodate far more words, than I can followers.  With followers come certain pleasurable responsibilities, while with words, comes nothing but the pleasure.  

I am sure I have encountered “thrum” in the past; I just do not recall.  “Thrumming thunder” has such an alliterative/onomatopoetic melody to it, I positively chortle in my appreciation for its tone and timbre.  The phrase came out of a piece written by Suzanne, that resonated with the music of our language to which I have alluded in the past.  I marveled at the piece which contained this phrase, even if I couldn’t intelligently comment on it.  It was enough to come away from this particular wordhoard, clutching a new treasure, with the same tenacity with which Lynda latches onto a new-to-her auction piece.

Back at home I will display my new phrase on the mantelpiece, examine it, maybe test drive it, insert it somewhere in my writing, run it up the flagpole, and see if anyone salutes it.

I do not even worry about the etiquette of borrowing dynamic words, phrases or ideas from the sites I visit, because the response is always so overwhelmingly positive.  Each of us, who communicates exclusively via words, must use this same tool to determine approval or support.  When I piggy-backed on Suzanne’s interest in verification words, to post a piece of fluff on my interest in these letter-groupings, I did not worry that she would object.  She has mentioned in the past that she is “honored” to have an idea or phrase acknowledged. 

I feel the same, should something I mentioned rear its pointed head, in another’s post.  That’s why the discussion this morning, encountered first at Masked Mom’s site, but originating at Word Nerd’s site, is so fascinating to me.  The ongoing discussion of etiquette within blog sites is of interest, because we are still trying to determine what the parameters are, and if they are the same for everyone.

I see bloggers with ten times the followers as I have, and I realize that it is easy to cross over into a different league, one that I sit in the stands for only, preferring to follow the action from a safe distance.  I am also cautious about commenting on sites, until I am certain that there are enough commonalities to warrant my further participation.  I am not interested in quantity; I am interested in quality.  

I feel that if I am a regular visitor to a site, that I can then do any of three or more options: visit, investigate and move on to reflect; visit, comment and move on; or visit, comment and return to see how it all worked out.  Because I have more flexibility than anyone else (I believe), I have this luxury.  I also have the luxury of being able to write, pretty much any time I want, day or night.

 Of course, I enjoy receiving comments, but never worry if any given day's response seems lackluster, because I know people have real lives, and because I have always written, first and foremost, for my own enjoyment.  Comments do not validate my writing; they complement it.

I do work in the house, both maintaining the upkeep, and being gainfully employed, but there are no time restrictions involving when, or how much time, I must work.  It’s all up to “Bill,” who presents himself incessantly when I stop in at the post office.

My desire to write and be acknowledged, has been met with phenomenal success.  As the dialogue about etiquette continues, with input from many, I will monitor closely.  Meanwhile, my affair with words thrums onward, thundering forward like an elephant, finally released from its stockade.