Commonplace book
A commonplace book is a notebook or journal which records things of interest. These may be quotations, ideas, observations, written or drawn. My commonplace entries are entirely quotations. If I could draw, I would include pictures – I see them in my mind’s eye but am incapable of translating them into sketches. How I envy those who have artistic skills!
Anyway, today I was looking at the last pages of my commonplace book, Y and Z. Under Y I had written Yadah, for which I had the definition, ‘to acknowledge the nature and work of God.’ Looking it up today, I discovered that it is a Hebrew word encompassing praise, confession, gratitude and worship.
I had also written ‘yada, yada, yada’, which is an informal phrase used in a similar way to ‘et cetera’ and ‘blah, blah, blah’ and sometimes indicative of boredom or irritation with a conversational gambit. It’s not an expression I use but I think it’s quite colourful.
For Z, I had a Zen proverb – ‘Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.’ Very true!
Zen can be an adjective or a noun. As an adjective it means relaxed but I don’t know anyone who uses it. Its use as a noun is more familiar. Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of a Chinese word, ch’an, meaning thought or meditation. Zen is a Buddhist sect that originated in China. Practitioners do not believe in reincarnation or worship Buddha, although they acknowledge him, but seek enlightenment through meditation.
I like the rocking chair analogy. I like rocking chairs but it is almost impossible to sit in one and not rock. We have had ours for decades and it has borne the teething attentions of many toddlers, puppies and kittens. It may one day be restored to its former glory but for now it is battered and bruised. There is no point in owning something and not using it and I don’t believe in banning young ones from touching furniture.
