The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Sõna (words in Estonian).

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Sõna (words in Estonian).

Words are funny, don’t we think?
Some swim in a soup, some try to wink
‘Bark’ is a tree, but also a sound
While ’round’ is round when spinning around.

‘Right’ can be correct or the opposite of left
And, ‘present’ means now or a gift blessed
‘Bat’ flies at night or hits a ball
Words have quirks that confuse us all.

‘Bear,’ a cuddly, hairy animal
Or simply ‘bear’ the pain
‘Fine’ can mean we’re doing well
Or paying for a train.

‘Maybe’ is a weird word
It never makes things clear.
Will we finish our housework?
‘Maybe’, sometime this year.

So, words may rhyme, words may play
They change their meaning every day
But, one thing’s true, wherever we go
Words make us smile, that’s all we know.

Words have secrets, words have tricks
They never really stay the same
We learn one meaning, then discover
They’re playing another game.

So, if a word seems crafty
Don’t panic, don’t despair
Just laugh, keep on learning
And, hope the words play fair.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Sõna (words in Estonian).

Words are little drops of light
That turn the dark to morning bright.
They paint the skies, they calm the sea
And, whisper what we long to be.

A simple word can heal a heart
Stimulates to create great art.
A wild journey down a brighter road
Helps heavy burdens lighten their load.

Words can bloom like flowers in spring
Carry the songs that dreamers sing.
They hold our laughter, tears & fears
And, keep our memories through the years.

Words are stars upon the page
Sparks of light from age to age.
They dance like music, soft & free
And, open doors to what can be.

A word can carry the morning rain
A whispered joy, a hidden pain.
Can bring sunshine to a face
Or fill a weary heart with grace.

Through words, we travel far away
To nostalgic nights & sunny days.
We meet the heroes of a tale
Sail across oceans, climb a trail.

A poet shapes them, line by line
And, makes the ordinary shine.
A writer gives them wings to fly
Like silver birds across the sky.

Words can be gentle, words can be strong
They turn emotions into songs.
They tell of dreams we dare to chase
Of distant worlds & unknown space.

Words can empower, words can inspire
Awaken our hope, desire & fire.

Words are bridges, words are keys
They cross the oceans, touch the seas.
They join together our heart & mind
Leave no humble spirit behind.

And, when our voices fade away
Our words may still remain & stay
Like little stars that beautifully gleam
Alive forever, flowing as a stream.

For every word we share
Leaves a little piece of us behind.

A trace, an echo
A warmth, a proof that, for a moment
Our human spirit
Reached out to seek the unfamiliar.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Sõna (words in Estonian).

From the books of Jane Austen to Carmen, great literature has often been the inspiration behind great music. Music expresses that which cannot be put into words & that which cannot remain silent.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Sõna (words in Estonian).

Reading about the philosophy of words. A fascinating study of how words create, carry, communicate & shape meaning or value. At its heart is a simple question – do words merely describe reality or do they help create the reality we specifically experience? Philosophers like Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ferdinand de Saussure & Martin Heidegger explored interesting aspects of language & meaning. Do the limits of our language mean the limits of our world? How playful can we be with words without losing its value? “Words are just a lens to focus one’s mind” – Ayn Rand.

Meaning. What makes a word mean what it means? Language & reality. Does language reflect the world or does it shape how we understand the world? Truth. How can words accurately express something that is real or true? Interpretation. Why can the same words mean different things to different people? Power. How can naming something change how people perceive, understand or believe it?

Silence. What can be communicated with words & what cannot be expressed in words at all? Are words necessary? “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said” – Peter Drucker. Words give shape to thoughts, but silence gives space to meaning. Perhaps, the deepest, most unique or intense experiences are the ones we cannot express in words.

Identity. How do the words we use to describe ourselves influence, inspire or empower who we become? “Words are the voice of the heart” – Confucius. A poetic way to express the idea is – words are not merely vessels for thought, they are the architecture through which thought becomes visible. In essence, the philosophy of words asks how words turn thoughts, emotions, experiences, dreams & reality into meaning.

A lot of human experiences can be experienced but can’t be described. Some things that resist words include pure sensation. The exact experience of a particular colour, smell, touch or taste. We can’t fully describe the beauty of a sunset, deep emotions like grief, love, joy, innocence, beauty, hope, belief, passion or compassion. Consciousness itself. The ineffable is ineffable. Experiences that seem too profound, adventurous, mysterious or overwhelming to fit into ordinary concepts.

Silence. Sometimes, what is unknowingly left unsaid communicates something better, that language would actually weaken. Non-verbal understanding. A glance, an embrace, a gesture, a melody or a shared moment can communicate something beautifully without forming a proposition. The infinite or absolute. Concepts like eternity, imagination, creativity, motivation or nothingness totally defy words.

This creates an intriguing philosophical paradox – words can point towards an experience without being the full experience itself. The paradox is that words can both reveal & conceal. There are limits to what language can meaningfully say. Sometimes, the appropriate response to what lies beyond those limits, is silence.

And perhaps, the greatest limitation of words is that they can somehow communicate what something means to us, but they cannot guarantee that others will experience that meaning in the same way. Lost in translation. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you, due to lack of words” – Maya Angelou.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Tré (trees in Icelandic).

A walk in nature walks the soul back home. It brings solace, stunning beauty & serenity. “To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots” – Richard Mabey. “Look deep into nature, then you will start to understand everything better” – Albert Einstein. “The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness” – John Muir.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Tré (trees in Icelandic).

There can be no purpose more inspiriting than to begin the age of restoration, re-weaving the wondrous diversity of life that still surrounds us. What we do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on earth. “There are more life forms in a handful of forests than there are people on our planet” – Sir David Attenborough. “In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And, no two journeys along the same path are alike” – Paolo Coelho. Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.

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The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Tré (trees in Icelandic).

Disclaimer

The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Tré (trees in Icelandic).

We have always loved the way trees
Stand quietly beneath the sky
Never asking the wind to stay
Never questioning the rain
When it passes them by.

Even the tiniest, fragile seed
Dreams, somehow
Of becoming a forest.

They carry seasons in their hearts
Serene spring in every tender leaf
Summer glowing through their branches
Autumn inspiring faith during change
Winter whispering rest, believe.

Their roots hold stories
Deep in the patient darkness
Where the earth keeps secrets
We have forgotten how to hear.

And when the sunset light
Slips softly through their leaves
The whole forest seems to glow
Golden for a moment
As if the heaven has come down
Just to touch the earth.

Trees do not chase beauty
They simply become it
Slowly, silently
Scar by scar
Year after year.

Perhaps, that is why we can just be
Feel who we truly are, beneath them.

They remind us
That it is possible to bend
Without breaking
To lose leaves
Without losing hope
To stand rooted
While the seasons change.

It does not fear
The empty branches of winter
Or mourn every leaf that falls away.

It simply trusts
That something bright and green
Will soon return.

Perhaps, this is what the trees came to share
That letting go is not the end, but transformation
That silence can be beautiful
And that growing, often happens where
No one can really see.

We have often sat beneath a tree
With a mind full of questions
And left with a lot of calm, more clarity.

Its sacred space does not ask
Why we come near
Its branches do not judge
The weight we carry.

It simply stands firmly beside us.

Listening, and sometimes
That is enough.

If we could become anything
In this big, restless world
We could be a tree.

Rooted, yet reaching.

Quiet, yet full of bird songs.

Weathered by storms
Yet, generous with shade.

Holding the sky
Without ever trying to own it.

A safe haven for tired souls
A little twirl on a summer’s day
A handful of delightful flowers
Dancing joyous in the breeze.

It’s a grateful, beautiful feeling
That, for a moment
Our world is so wonderful
Simply because trees are here.

Disclaimer

The blog will pick a word of the week, to share & explore the selected word. Here’s an expression for the word – Tré (trees in Icelandic).

Throughout history, classical music composers have been inspired by trees & forests. Trees have always filled us with joy, wonder, peace & sparked our imagination. A majestic example of strength, resilience & perseverance in the face of adversity. They are precious sanctuaries. There is always music amongst the trees, but our hearts must be quiet to hear it. Trees tell their secrets to those that tune in.

Beethoven sought serenity & solace in the daily walks through the woods & the countryside. Those charming walks inspired his Symphony No.6, the Pastoral. William Byrd wrote a set of variations on a song called will you walk the woods so wild? Liszt paints a mesmerising picture of a forest by creating sounds that reflect both their shadow & light. Inspires us to concentrate on the wind that blows through them, listen to the mysterious murmurings of the forest, the rustic rustling of the leaves. Jane Rutter talks trees using the flute to reflect on our beautiful connection with nature.

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