The There There Letter: Dingus, Deftly, and Delight

Three things from DAH. Free every Friday! OK, it's been a while
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DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. Still standing (and sitting).

First up this week, Dingus …  
I re-watched The Maltese Falcon. I also re-watched On The Waterfront. The latter is a better movie. But it's without dingus. Sadly, it's not without dead pigeons. There's an important metaphor there, I'm sure. But I'm here today for the dingus. Humphrey Bogart's character, Sam Spade, uses "dingus" to reference that elusive artifact, the Maltese Falcon. Otherwise, a dingus could also be a slow-witted person. I can't see how these usages are related. Perhaps they're both primarily about not being able to remember things or their names. And I can't stop this riffing in my background brain: falcons eat pigeons.

Second up this week, Deftly …  
"Deftly done!" I want to exclaim. Currently, I want to exclaim it for my nascent pizza making obsession. I've been doing lots of reading of lots of pizza books. I've narrowed down my objective styles to New York, Detroit, and Bar. I've been reading and gearing-up. I've even ordered an outdoor pizza oven (guess what I'll be serving at parties). I've always made pizza at home, but I just sort of did it. Used a recommended dough and sauce recipe (Thank you One Speed) then just did as I pleased. Occasionally I could say "deftly done." Mostly my results were a bit random. Now I'm going to get it (them) right. Oh, and let me know if you're interested which pizza books I favor (my library must be about 20 titles so far ... eliciting regular witty quips from my wife). 

Third up this week, Delight …  
I've been taking a Mindfulness course via Zoom (I've also used the Headspace app, which I quite like for guided meditations). I'm using a five word mnemonic from that course to summon up delight.

I recall these words, smile, and pay attention to what surrounds me. And I always feel a strong sense of delight. And comfort. And calm. I'm quite sure my Mindfulness course instructor would approve. So, waking up at random hours of the night (a regular occurrence for me) I simply smile, see what I can in the dark, recall any thoughts or dreams … and welcome them all, all part of my life. 

A book I reread: 
Cover Her Face, by P. D. James.
I've always read mysteries. Lately, I've been seeking out classics of the genre. This one is P. D. James first novel featuring her sleuth, featuring Inspector Adam Dalgliesh. Not a bloody book. Dingus alert for sleeping pill red herrings. Deftly done. I was delighted. 

And a bit more:

Delight, by Hans Ostrom

3-year olds can be delighted
most of their waking time--
if cared for, and no bombs falling.

a stick's a toy,
a shadow 's funny,
waterfalls of giggles pour & pour.

grim life steps in soon enough,
narrows delight's apertures.
far away from 3, we can

still focus on the light and warmth
splashing on things everywhere--
stones and hair, birds in air,

tossed green bottles, signs,
& the lines that ride from building
to building, stitching cities.

it's enough some days to make
us chortle, giggle, grin--if our delight's
not been worn down too thin.


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.