Penultimate Pondering

I awoke wanting to explore the penultimate-ness of today. Yes, I love alliteration, and redundancy--I actually understand Gertrude Stein to some extent. Probably because I portrayed her in a little play called "Chamber Music," when I was in college. I do love to dwell on words. As a reminder to myself, Arabesque is next. The sparks of imagination are coming out of dark recesses...

So, Penultimate. What a great word! Yesterday was penultimate to today. Today is the 3rd anniversary of Katrina slamming the Gulf Coast, and yesterday hung on the edge of today. Today we continue to hear what paths Gustav and Hanna will take. Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior's "I have a dream" speech, and our penultimate president hung on it for emphasis and its importance to today. Am I making any sense yet?

In the truest sense of the word, penultimate is something that is next to last. I dwell on the next-to part. Today is penultimate to tomorrow, yet tomorrow is not the end. At least I hope not! I would have to look up the prefix 'pen,' to get even deeper, and perhaps I will before this spin ends. Ultimate: is the greatest, the top of the mountain, the fullest, and fulfillment. And that's without looking it up, so forgive me if my definition is too imaginative .

Thinking about words is like considering the lilies of the field. They neither sow nor reap--yet they are beautiful and don't worry about tomorrow. If it rains, great. If not, I'll water them. (Sadly my lilies have long since bloomed, and the zinnias are holding onto the penultimate days of summer heat.) It's good to chase words into the woods sometimes.

In terms of tomorrow, penultimate can be a positive, or negative term. It's all in how you view the glass: half full, or half empty. What is your choice?

Since moving South, I have learned to love the phrase, "we are not promised tomorrow." That makes the penultimate-ness of today all the more present and precious, doesn't it?

The morning glories know the secret. The flower blooms one morning, and is gone when the hot sun hits it. Consider each day like the morning glory, rise and shine!