A small matter

"It is a great art to saunter." Thoreau again, about the delight of discovery, detour and digression. About not getting anywhere in particular. But in the arc of a life, suddenly necessity may call out a clear direction.

And so it took a great while to reach a point of minimal expression. More than half a lifetime.
My mantra for last year was "duct tape." I wanted to try something new.

Silence.

I imagined a 3" swathe of silver duct tape across my mouth. I became more keenly observant. I focused on the words of others, the quality of their language and thinking.

I have been re-reading Thoreau for a course I am teaching. He is full of simple ideas, or rather, complex ideas simplified. He reminds us, "Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short."

This year's mantra is simpler: Say nothing that cannot be improved upon by silence.