Straight from the horse's mouth..

So, as I am settling back into the US, I've been noticing language idioms a lot (possibly because they are in English, not Czech, and I can actually understand them!). Allow me to digress briefly... Where I am from, we call people "honey" or "darlin'." Apparently this is odd in the north. The word y'all (which, think about it, is absolutely necessary in terms of having a second person plural pronoun) is a Southernism, and is rarely used effectively in the north. Also, I just learned five minutes ago that it is no longer cool to call someone a goober. Who would have known?

Deeper than that though, there are idioms used in the States, which don't really translate effectively. Literally consider the phrases: "I smell a rat" "Jump the gun" "Cat got your tongue" "Making ends meet" and "Jump down someone's throat." Anyone know where those came from or how they acquired their cultural meaning? Now, pop quiz of the day, take the following phrases, literally translated, and tell me what they mean: "To walk around hot porridge" (Czech) or "He took you on his arm" or "I only understood 'railway station'" (German), or "To lick windows" (French). Get the point? They don't really translate (but they are fun!)

So, the point is... there are some phrases which don't really translate; rather, they require somewhat of a cultural understanding, or a contextual grasp of the situation in order to make any sense at all. Same thing is true with people. There are parts of each of us that cannot be understood on first meeting. They require context and truly listening, before they can be grasped. Reason for relating this? I'm in the process of learning that skill of listening well and listening deeply. To "tie up all the loose ends," often times I (we) are going too fast to really listen. We brush by, breeze through, or skim the surface on a mad rush through town, without really finding the content of anything. We "lick the windows" but don't really buy anything. We "walk around hot porridge" but never get to the point. So what is my point? Dig deeper. Slow down. "Smell the roses." "There's more than meets the eye." I'm learning this lesson slowly, over a long period of time. Join me. I'm not "taking you over my arm." It's worth while.