The There There Letter: Cwm, Cultivate, and Catastrophize
Three things from DAH.
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. Oh, no. Not again.
First up this week, Cwm …
There's a British TV show, Hinterland (or y gwyll … in Welsh, "the dusk"). We enjoyed the show, and I appreciated it more when I learned that it had been filmed in both English and Welsh. Each scene was filmed twice, with the actors switching between the languages. Something about that seemed so remarkable to me. Then, one of my A.Word.A.Day words this week was cwm, pronounced "koom." It's a Welsh noun meaning "a steep bowl-shaped mountain basin" (recognized by Merriam-Webster, thus a pretty handy Scrabble play). So, I was contemplating the survival of the Welsh language and I stumbled upon information about the Welsh expat communities in Argentina. I'm not sure I can, or should, hold all this stuff in my head.
Patagonia: a small slice of Wales in South America
Second up this week, Cultivate …
Cultivating culture … could mean a community of farmers, or perhaps a clutch of cheesemakers. But I'm thinking more about what we can do, with or without government, to cultivate particular cultures in our communities (Wales in Patagonia is more extreme than I'm proposing). I'm quite interested in the arts and wine, and I've been involved in efforts to promote arts culture and wine culture in different places. It's easy to tell where those cultures have taken hold and been cultivated. Most of us can identify art and wine communities pretty readily. I can think of few things I'd rather do than cultivate cultures that matter to me. Our assignment: Help cultivate a culture you love in a place you love.
Piece of Mind: The Growth of a Supportive and Nurturing Arts Community
Third up this week, Catastrophize …
Yes, I confess. I have a tendency to catastrophize, as do many others. "Catastrophizing is an irrational thought a lot of us have in believing that something is far worse than it actually is" according to PsychCentral. Doom-scrolling and headline stress disorder. Yes, I can identify, and I can't always convince myself that my thoughts are irrational. Indeed, my catastrophizing can be quite debilitating, as fear and anxiety begin to crowd out my optimism. Counteracting this is likely why I want to distract myself by thinking about cultivating Welsh culture in an Argentinian cwm.
Anxious about the news? Our top tips on how to cope
And a bit more:
The Heart of a Dreamer, by Idris Davies
I broke my heart in five pieces
And buried a part by the sea
And I hid a part in the mountains
And the third in the root of a tree,
And the fourth I gave to a singer
Who shared his wild ecstasy,
But the best I gave to a woman
Who gave all her heart to me.
And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. Oh, no. Not again.
First up this week, Cwm …
There's a British TV show, Hinterland (or y gwyll … in Welsh, "the dusk"). We enjoyed the show, and I appreciated it more when I learned that it had been filmed in both English and Welsh. Each scene was filmed twice, with the actors switching between the languages. Something about that seemed so remarkable to me. Then, one of my A.Word.A.Day words this week was cwm, pronounced "koom." It's a Welsh noun meaning "a steep bowl-shaped mountain basin" (recognized by Merriam-Webster, thus a pretty handy Scrabble play). So, I was contemplating the survival of the Welsh language and I stumbled upon information about the Welsh expat communities in Argentina. I'm not sure I can, or should, hold all this stuff in my head.
Patagonia: a small slice of Wales in South America
Second up this week, Cultivate …
Cultivating culture … could mean a community of farmers, or perhaps a clutch of cheesemakers. But I'm thinking more about what we can do, with or without government, to cultivate particular cultures in our communities (Wales in Patagonia is more extreme than I'm proposing). I'm quite interested in the arts and wine, and I've been involved in efforts to promote arts culture and wine culture in different places. It's easy to tell where those cultures have taken hold and been cultivated. Most of us can identify art and wine communities pretty readily. I can think of few things I'd rather do than cultivate cultures that matter to me. Our assignment: Help cultivate a culture you love in a place you love.
Piece of Mind: The Growth of a Supportive and Nurturing Arts Community
Third up this week, Catastrophize …
Yes, I confess. I have a tendency to catastrophize, as do many others. "Catastrophizing is an irrational thought a lot of us have in believing that something is far worse than it actually is" according to PsychCentral. Doom-scrolling and headline stress disorder. Yes, I can identify, and I can't always convince myself that my thoughts are irrational. Indeed, my catastrophizing can be quite debilitating, as fear and anxiety begin to crowd out my optimism. Counteracting this is likely why I want to distract myself by thinking about cultivating Welsh culture in an Argentinian cwm.
Anxious about the news? Our top tips on how to cope
And a bit more:
The Heart of a Dreamer, by Idris Davies
I broke my heart in five pieces
And buried a part by the sea
And I hid a part in the mountains
And the third in the root of a tree,
And the fourth I gave to a singer
Who shared his wild ecstasy,
But the best I gave to a woman
Who gave all her heart to me.
And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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