We are having a partly sunny/partly cloudy day in Indiana. What’s difference you say? I suppose there is an actual meteorological definition. However sometimes I think it is all in our individual perspective. For example: you have heard that some people look upon situations as “The glass is half-full” or perhaps at the other end of the spectrum “The glass is half-empty”. Some people are so caught up in their own day-to-day happenings that they simply look upon the situations as “Just another glass to wash”.
But I digress. Back to the weather. Today’s warm 60 degree temperature will surely tease the trees and bushes. The sun will lick the branches and tempt the buds to emerge. Perhaps it will be pre-mature however since we have a few nights ahead of us in the below freezing temperatures.
Some years ago I was interviewing students at scenic Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. You may know it is a stately old Ivy League university founded in 1764. I was a bit apprehensive at the thought of visiting the campus. Were all the faculty, staff and students full of themselves? Would they be pretentious? Were my insecurities kicking in?
I just decided to be myself. I remember one older lady in the Placement Office. She was of Polish descent. We hit if off extremely well. Later in the day she told me I had panache. I thanked her but did not want to admit I didn’t know the definition of the word. Being the word geek that I am I quickly looked it up. According to Wikipedia panache is a word of French origin that carries the connotation of a flamboyant manner and reckless courage. That made me feel pretty good about myself.
I queried this lady about the derivation of my last name – Lozowski. My father (Walter) and his parents (Petre and Helena) had immigrated to the United States in the early 1900′s. Since my mother had died when I was five years old and I was reared in a foster home I knew very little about the Lozowski family much less the name itself. I fancied that perhaps the name meant “Brave” or perhaps “Lion-Hearted”. It turns out that Lozowski could be translated “Pussy Willow”. I enjoyed a good laugh over that.
Now you readers who have visited the northern climates know that the pussy willows will soon be in bloom. Perhaps you will look at them a little bit differently in the future and see a name associated with them.
Enjoy your spring day wherever you may be.
