…that I’ve already told you a story. Or a joke. Or an anecdote. So. Sorry about that.
But have you heard the one about picking brambles? Raking leaves? Buying more food than you need and struggling to fit it into the kitchen?
Oh. You have. I know, because I seem to have written about each of these things at least once.
I come from a family where, if the joke is good, it’s worth a repeat. It is one where a repeat phrase is an opening gambit, a provocation to complete the next part.
Rather a number of these are Goon Show quotations, and since I have come to realise that not everyone goes around saying these (Dan is a case in point here, though he’s learning),
I won’t inundate you with them.
It has taken time and distance from growing up to realise that all these phrases, and their repetitions, are a way of building a shared language. A hoard to break out when you need them. And a way, too, of showing love.
Blogging is often about sharing what we love – as well as what has worked for us, for our child, and so on. And I share some of these things in that same way – like wood smoke, these are things I love. I won’t presume that you’ll love them too, but I think you might.
And sometimes, these things I love come to the surface again – I write again – and then the repetition comes in.
Repeating yourself is seen as a sign of ageing. And, yes, it does come more with age. But it doesn’t just have to be a memory thing. It can be a ‘old, but new in the moment’ thing too. Especially where it’s seasonal.
Were we to forbid mentioning things more than once, or allow only one mention per person, a great number of pumpkins would take offence this month because their qualities and virtues are not being celebrated.
I say this, slightly tongue in cheek, because many of the blogs I follow are full of fall-this and pumpkin-that. And no one seems too concerned that they might have mentioned pumpkins before.
So, forgive me if you have had enough of me repeating myself. I am happy to be in a world where there are good things – and that, often, good things stay good on a second airing.
And you can always hover over those links to see if I am genuinely repeating myself, or sending you off in the direction of something new.
A little of both is a good mixture. So, off you go now, and try out some Goon Show scripts. Better still, listen to some. And if you feel like repeating some in the comments, that too would be welcome.