Day 110 Nearly

March 29, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)

Almost ready to bloom

A single word triggers an array of emotions.There is the frustration of almost finding the word you are looking for (often experienced at my age), the dissonance of almost singing the right notes, the disappointment of almost hitting the ball and the panic at only being almost at the next rest stop (also frequently experienced). Say the words, “Christmas is almost here,” and those who are unprepared will groan while others (especially children) will shout “Yea!”  

Everything is relative. As the Buddha said, “A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.”

The same word also stirs up anticipation such as when the cake is almost finished baking in the oven or the end of the school day is almost here which might bring feelings of relief to both students and their teachers. I like the feeling of “on the cusp” that the word brings— such as almost born or almost blooming—because it is a looking forward with hope to the future.

I especially embrace the motivation that word brings to those who are running and almost at the finish line and to those who are creating and feel the joy of almost being there. I like to let the word push me along as I journey out of my comfort zone and anticipate future blooms.

My gift today is almost.

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You can read my other posts on this project here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html