When Up Isn't Up

A. Unabashed Pacifist –

Puppies for Peace:

Time to play.
Time to explore.
Time to cuddle
No time for war.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You excel at hearing what matters to us.

Beneath our fumbling, inarticulate words and thoughts, you hear our praise and thanks: for the joy of living in this amazing world; for the expressions of care and love that do so much to help us in our daily lives; for the wonders of healing through science and the mysterious working of prayer and miracle; for the many blessings that make our lives special. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Beneath our halting words and broken thoughts, you hear our anxiety and our pain as we cry for help: for those facing illness, loss of loved ones, great tragedy, the uncertainty of physical health and of financial insecurity; for those dealing with challenges of leadership in nations torn by differences of religion and opinion; for those whose livelihoods are threatened by forces beyond their control; for victims of natural and human disasters. Help us. Help us. Help us.

Beneath our words and thoughts, O God, lie the simple desires to live and love and contribute to your great enterprise – making your dominion real on Earth, as it is in heaven.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Mom, did you see the awesome Christmas decorations at Jonathan’s house?”

[Hanukkah, maybe, but not Christmas.]

D. Blog: When Up is not Up

For the past couple of weeks, I have been noticing that we use the word “up” in a great variety of ways, most that are redundant, unnecessary or contradictory. My opinion is that if it doesn’t mean the direction “up” then it’s probably a lazy filler when we can’t think of a clear, appropriate, and precise way of saying what we mean.

The following is a listing of just the examples of words that came to my mind or that I recently heard being combined with “up” in conversation.

Unnecessary:

- finish - measure - fill - end - wait - write
- break - call - ante - sweep - wake - wrinkle
- eat - beat - meet - feel (lazy?) - cook
- brew - fry - grill - print - dial - start - close
- lock - tear (both) - drink (lazy?) - hype - dry - clog -
- clean - clear - flare - straighten -back
- wash - pack - pucker - light - cut - rest
- heat - pay - stir - mix - box - fix
- wipe - fold - join (and re-) - ripen - firm
- loosen - tie - tighten - buckle - paste - grease - grind
- link - bind - goof - cramp - shrink - shrivel
- tidy - cover - rig - tune - burn - hang
- trip - follow - ratchet - dam - heal - freshen
- liven (use “en” instead of "up") - curl

Redundant:

- add (?) - swell - climb
- pile - stack - heap
- rise - ascend

Lazy:

- act - ball - soak
- bring - talk - use
- build - drive - wise
- hook - drum - make
- dress - dope - pump
- fuck - mess - screw
- work - tie - power
- lighten - shut - put
- stick/hold - rack - turn
- speed - stood - stop
- step - take - clam
- post - sign - stock
- stuck - perk - fess
- hole - pair - ramp
- line - foul - kiss
- suck - crank - set
- toss - crop - come
- bundle - cover - string
- bang - round - trip
- frame - amp - scare
- board

Contradictory:

- open & close
- start & finish/end
- rest & wake
- tighten & loosen
- slow (also with “down”?) & speed
- trip? (usually leads to falling down, not moving up)