Ordinary Words 10: End

 

The word 'end' hasn't changed much since Old English:  the original word, 'ende', just dropped the final 'e'.  From that time, it also had dual connotations:  not just a resolution, but also a termination.  'End' can be used to indicate a boundary as well as a finish line, and that is somehow less sad to me.  Boundaries are healthy, after all.  They indicate the division of space and time, and they allow something new to begin.

I don't mean for this blog to be mournful, as if I'm reflecting on a great chapter of my life that has closed. Don't expect harpstrings and butterflies, my friends: it's much less meaningful than that.  I just think that this will be the end of the 'Ordinary Words' theme for now.  Ten entries is enough; with too many more, it might get annoying.  

Also, there are also other things to write about.  I have ideas.  I have plans.  Very foggy, etheral plans for now, but I'm sure they'll soon come into focus.  I might write about Shakespeare:  I started a Shakespearean project that had to come to an end (!) due to other commitments.  I might look into the history of embroidery, because it seems to be more important to historical events than I once thought.  Similarly, the history of decisions made while under the influence of alcohol would be both informative and hilarious.  There are many possibilities.

So.  Let us begin with the 'end'.