Welcome to MUSINGS FROM (A)BROAD

 Can I write what I truly think…or will I self edit and then lose the ability to tell the truth…as I see it…and who the heck cares?

Will I now have two sets of musings? One set on the web…and the other safely hidden in my private journals? I don’t know yet – I guess we’ll have to see. Maybe I’ll just ponder on the meaning of “musings” and be happy with that. In which case you can spend your time doing something more instructive and (a)musing.

We begin with the enchanting and perplexing definitions of “musings” – and of course…”muse”

We had to get a goddess in there somewhere! Which one shall we choose?

Athena (left) …war/conflict/battle…like life

… or Thalia (right)?

Wouldn’t you rather spend some time with this gal?

Thalia - Thalia (/θəˈlaɪə/; Ancient Greek: Θάλεια, Θαλία; "the joyous, the flourishing", from Ancient Greek: θάλλειν, thállein; "to flourish, to be verdant") was the Muse who presided over comedy and idyllic poetry.

She was portrayed as a young woman with a joyous air, crowned with ivy, wearing boots and holding a comic mask in her hand. Many of her statues also hold a bugle and a trumpet (both used to support the actors' voices in ancient comedy), or occasionally a shepherd’s staff or a wreath of ivy.

Musing: Various Definitions from a Google Search – take your pick…and my “musings” may be meditative, thoughtful, astonishing or a “waste of time," literally "to stand with one's nose in the air" (or, possibly, "to sniff about" like a dog who has lost the scent)!

/mjuːz/

noun

1.

a goddess that inspires a creative artist, esp a poet

Word Origin

C14: from Old French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Mousa a Muse

muse

v.

"to reflect, to be absorbed in thought," mid-14c., from Old French muser (12c.) "to ponder, dream, wonder; loiter, waste time," literally "to stand with one's nose in the air" (or, possibly, "to sniff about" like a dog who has lost the scent), from muse "muzzle," from Gallo-Romance *musa "snout," of unknown origin. Probably influenced in sense by muse (n.). Related: Mused ; musing.

n.

late 14c., protectors of the arts, from Old French Muse and directly from Latin Musa, from Greek Mousa, "the Muse," also "music, song," from PIE root *men- "to think, remember" (see mind (n.)). Meaning "inspiring goddess of a particular poet" is from late 14c. The traditional names and specialties of the nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, are: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry, lyric art), Euterpe (music, especially flute), Melpomene (tragedy), Polymnia (hymns), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), Urania (astronomy).

This is all probably more than you ever wanted to know about muses and musing – but I was curious and there you have it!