Where do Butterflies come from? / Soft Feelings
"You give me butterflies" is the first thought I thought after I noticed that I cannot stop thinking about you. It was strange because I neither made a decision to let you in my mind, nor did I ever describe such soft feelings in terms of butterflies before. Not that I mind, but before I speculate about the appropriateness of using butterflies to refer to such feelings I question their softness. After all, it's one part thrill, one part fear, one part uncertainty, and one part anticipation (two maybe). But, and there is a but, for all those feelings are negative, their experience is pleasing. You see, most feelings are passing, but pleasure is lasting. In fact, pleasure can be so overwhelming that it would discount all other feelings as well as disrupt normal mental activities; like a good bottle of wine would do. Mental effects aside, it's like good coffee. Whereas most will describe coffee as bitter, great coffee is first and foremost sweet: sweetness that cannot be understood except through experience.
Like coffee, butterflies come in different intensities. Like a great espresso, high intensity will last very shortly. Pull a shot too long and you will ruin it. Add to a cup of drip and you get a red-eye: keeps you up at night, but will be bitter. Yet, soft feelings are like good wine: they get better with age. But wait too long and it will spoil. Soft feelings are like Scotch: strong and smoky. Soft feelings are like dark chocolate: pure, crisp, original, authentic. Delicious.
Can you actually write about something to distract yourself from it? No of course not: that would be cheating! But now I'm writing about writing about something, so it ought to be different from writing about it. See, I've now confused you, it's confusing writing about writing. But if I confused myself then it would be confused writing. Is all confused writing confusing? I bet not, as anyone who has ever entered a Chinese restaurant can attest. Neither is all confusing writing confused. So, can you write confused confusing writing? Can you write writing that only confuses those who do not write confused writings? Is confused writing writing?
If I'm distracted while writing this writing it would be distracted writing. That is typically not good. But if it is good, it will distract you. That would be distracting writing. Distractedly writing distracted writing cannot produce distracting writing. You may as well be counting sheep...
Speaking of sheep, do you ship sheep on a shipping ship? How do you ship ship? Ever seen a ship-shipping ship ship shipping-ship? Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo... Segmentation fault (core dumped)
A subset is a subset of a set. Is the set of subsettable sets a subset of settable sets? A sublet is letting a let. A piglet is a small pig. Why isn't a sublet called a letlet? Is an outlet a small out or an outdoors let?
A pigment may be a subset of a pig. A statement can be a subset of a state. A settlement is not a subset of a settle. Or if it is it's very subtle. Black pigments gather on the outside of a kettle, but that's also very subtle. A piglet would not fit in most kettle: it's bigger than a kettle yet smaller than cattle.
Maybe I did distract myself, but I also distracted you, if I may. I may as well stop confusing you right here. Anyway, that's what you get for giving me butterflies on a May, Spring, day.
11 May 2013
Toronto
[CC BY]
