More things we say

Is it only me...but seemingly we have the ability to stretch time.

A week or so ago I set out my aim to collect and share some of the stupid and really silly things we all say. Here is another. And as always I am on the lookout for more thoughts and inspired ideas from you.

Earlier this week a colleague of mine slumped into his chair and held his head in his hands and signed with real purposeful intent,

‘Boy, it’s been a long day’.

I am not sure what he expected he me to do but there was no way I felt inclined to mop his weary brow, massage his slumped and sagging frame or softly rub gentle fragrant oils into his exhausted skin.

Instead I parsed his gently uttered moan.

Now it might only be me but I always thought time was a fixed unit and did not vary according to mood or effort applied.

What exactly is a long day? A day is neither short nor long but made up of 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds. No matter what you are doing, where you are or who you might be, that is the length of the day and from the days of Galileo it has been something to do with the length of time our wee planet takes to orbit the sun. Maybe Brian Cox who once told us that ‘life can only get better’ could confirm that for us.

Of equal stupidity is when those who originate to the North of the Wall of Hadrian ask or tell someone ‘to hold on a wee minute’. In this context of course ‘wee’ means ‘small’. But how long is a wee minute? A minute is exactly 60 seconds, no more, no less. How many seconds are there in a wee minute?

Now I know Man (and woman too for that matter) is clever and there are many things we can do now that we couldn’t do before, not always for that good, but when and how did we acquire the ability to change either up or down the length of time? This was not something I was ever taught.

If you know how to do this, please share.

And please share with us any other stupid things we say.

In meantime, have a great week, long or otherwise.

Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.