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"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear,
but forgetting where you heard it."
-Laurence J. Peter
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"Read not to contradict and confute,
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."
-Francis Bacon
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The waiter carefully places the bottle on our table, omitting to ask if the vintage is acceptable.
He doesnīt even bother to open the bottle, let the contents be sampled, or otherwise invite any expression of approval
or disapproval. He doesnīt have to, for he knows he has made an excellent choice.
The setting is not a dinner table at a restaurant. The waiter is not a waiter. The bottle is not a wine bottle.
And I am not taking anyone out today. I am an interpreter in a booth. The waiter is my fellow interpreter.
And the bottle is a container for mineral water. It just so happens that my colleagueīs suit and tie, the
way he holds the bottle, and the posh label remind me of a restaurant setting. But other than that, there is hardly
any comparison with a restaurant situation. In fact, the text on the bottle reminds me of something completely different
than a dinner. The manufacturer (if you can use that word at all for a company that pumps water from springs and puts it
in bottles), Hildon, used an interesting description for the kind of water they put in this particular bottle.
In elegant lettering the label reads: DELIGHTFULLY STILL.
That struck me as unusual. You see all kinds of descriptions, usually in one word - still, sparkling, fizzy, carbonated.
But delightfully still was new to me. It made me think. There is something about the word still that is
attractive all by itself. It reminds one of peace and quiet, silence, softness. But the word delightfully adds a
whole new dimension to it. Instead of still being just the opposite of carbonated, with the word
delightfully in front of it, it suddenly becomes a suggestion that instead of leaving something out, you are getting
something extra. Like the chance to enjoy, to take pleasure in the stillness of this spring water from England.
Apparently stillness really is something we can relish. Not just in water, but in many things. Still waters are safer than
rough seas. Still tongues make wise heads. Stillness is soothing, calming, pacifying. I suppose we all need some stillness
now and then. Some peace, some being away from the rat race of life. Some quiet pause amid the noise pollution of modern
society.
And heaven knows we need things to be delightfully still. There is simply too much noise, too much hustle and bustle. Modern
life asks ever more of us. We need to do more, be away more, travel more, be available more - yes, even day and night, it
seems. Has anyone ever said to you: Why didnīt you have your mobile phone on? Sounds familiar, doesnīt it? You are expected
to be available at all times, to jump to attention whenever or wherever horrible, simplified electronic renderings of
familiar tunes and melodies rudely interrupt you in whatever activity it was you were engaged in. In my own country Iīve
heard people complaining that you cannot really go anywhere without hearing traffic. But nowadays you can even hardly
go anywhere anymore without hearing people making phonecalls. A whole new kind of noise pollution!
No, really, it may just be a bottle label, but "Delightfully Still" really appeals to me. I like it a lot. And, although
I donīt think it motivates me to just drink Hildon spring water from now on, I do mean to find more things in life that
are just as delightfully still.
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Disclaimer
This column is only for the purpose of entertaining, educating or
giving food for thought. Any persons, characters, countries, institutions or groups
mentioned are - as a matter of principle - fictional: any resemblance to existing ones is
purely by chance. ;-)
If the content of this column offends anyone, please accept the
columnist's apologies: no offense was intended.
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column noun
1a: a vertical arrangement of items on a page
b: a vertical section of a printed page
c: an accumulation arranged vertically
d: a department or feature (as of humor, sports,
literary reviewing, or gossip) in a newspaper or periodical, under a permanent
title and generally reflecting the writer's individual tastes and point of view.
2: a supporting pillar
3: a form, structure, or formation shaped like a column
(Webster's Dictionary.)
Relevant reads:
Springs and Bottled Waters of the World: Ancient History, Source, Occurrence, Quality and Use
The Water We Drink: Water Quality and Its Effects on Health
Stillness Speaks
Small Graces: The Quiet Gifts of Everyday Life
Quiet Places: How to Create Peaceful Havens in your Home, Garden, and Workplace
Delightfully S
Find a Quiet Corner: A Simple Guide to Self-Peace
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