A picture of a coiled rattlesnake lying in straw is on the back cover of the May issue of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine.
The image is eye-catching enough in itself. Then I was startled by the caption: "What the pigmy rattlesnake lacks in size, it makes up for in looks, rarity and bold yet endearing attitude."
Bold yet endearing? A rattler?
I studied the picture carefully and still didn't understand.
What I do like, though, is the idea of bold and endearing describing the same personality. The words bold, outspoken, etc. often get a bad rap, being considered euphemisms for obnoxious.
But they're not the same thing at all. In fact, it sometimes takes more boldness to say something nice, to say something so authentic and tender that it feels dangerous.
That willingness to be vulnerable is bold and endearing.
But I'm just not seeing it in that rattlesnake. I'll have to check out the full article on the "petite viper" in next month's issue of the magazine.
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I’m a writer who dodged being a minister; I saw that my dharma, my calling, was instead to write about body and spirit, to explore in fiction my metaphysical questions. I’ve spent the past 35+ years as a freelancer, with 2 novels, 2 nonfiction books, magazine and newspaper articles from 25+ countries, a few seasons as a TV reporter, copy for ad agencies, a winter in India, and my manuscript and career consulting services for writers.
It’s not because I’m naturally lion-hearted that I’ve chosen the topic of bold living and bold writing. It’s because I aspire to living and writing with courage. I wrestle with these matters; I even have a touch of an anxiety disorder, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder. You probably know the saying: we teach what we need to learn.
I post here about daily fears and triumphs, about writing and, if I ever get my courage up, about mysticism, the ultimate brazen act: direct experience of God. I hope you’ll leap into the wide-ranging conversation here and come back often. I hope you’ll find the talk here encouraging for your own adventures.
It’s not because I’m naturally lion-hearted that I’ve chosen the topic of bold living and bold writing. It’s because I aspire to living and writing with courage. I wrestle with these matters; I even have a touch of an anxiety disorder, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder. You probably know the saying: we teach what we need to learn.
I post here about daily fears and triumphs, about writing and, if I ever get my courage up, about mysticism, the ultimate brazen act: direct experience of God. I hope you’ll leap into the wide-ranging conversation here and come back often. I hope you’ll find the talk here encouraging for your own adventures.
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2 comments:
Hi Peggy,
Interesting, but I don't usually think of the world bold as a negative. While I would not equate the word bold with endearing, I would say that I find some individuals who behave boldly to be endearing. But NOT a rattlesnake! Never a rattlesnake! I do not appreciate them and I don't think I ever will. My husband often returns from his mountain-bike rides with stories about his rattlesnakes encounters. I would be better off not hearing them, but that is another story!
Bold is beautiful.(as long as it has nothing to do with a venomous rattlesnake!)
Let me know if you change your mind after reading the article about the petite vipers. Now there is another one that sounds incongruous, petite and viper. Petite is such a lovely little word, and viper, well, not so lovely.
Hugs,
Debbie
Maybe a negative stereotype about bold is more me than universal. That would explain a lot about my history. I've come to bold-is-beautiful rather slowly.
But now I'm convinced.
We'll see about the petite viper, Debbie.
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