Irony & Metaphor

I love irony. I love the unexpected twist. Yesterday I worked in the morning proctoring for a national testing company. Once each month I supervise public school teachers as they take the exam(s) which will designate them as "highly qualified," a requirement for all teachers under the No Child Left Behind legislation. In case you don't know, I am a homeschooler. The examinees have no idea, of course. I find that ironic, and it makes me smile.

I also love metaphor. I enjoy comparing things, seeing how one image (vehicle) can be useful or poetic to describe another (tenor). In this case the tenor of the metaphor is family and the vehicle is square dance. But first I need to mention the recital. Friday night was Westin's annual Christmas piano rectial. This recital has become one of my favorite holiday traditions, since it includes over 30 students of all levels playing over 30 Christmas songs. It is a celebratory event for all the families, with a casual potluck dessert afterwards. This year Susie and Andy opted not to attend the recital because it would have forced them to miss our weekly square dance lesson. (Susie informed me that nine recitals were enough, and she got Westin's blessing to pass on it this year.) Square dancing is an apt metaphor for how a healthy family operates, I think. All members of the square work together to accomplish a goal. It's important to pay attention to others, and adjust your movements to theirs. Sometimes the 8 people in a square are involved in the same activity, like circle left, promenade, or do-si-do. At other times the couples separate into heads and sides, with the different groups performing different moves for a time. Even your partner can change, so you'll switch who you're dancing with for a time. But no matter what, your square always comes back together at the end. So it's appropriate that our family is taking square dancing lessons every Friday night, even though Westin & I weren't there this week. When we all reunited at home that evening, Susie & Andy danced us through the new moves so we'd be prepared for next week. Besides serving as a cool metaphor, it's good excercise and fun!