Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Best Heartfelt

How staggeringly hopeful language is. Driving my son to work in the early morning, through the light industrial area, I spied Best Engineering and Heartfelt Furniture. I've driven past them many times before, but this time, with the sun a pale rose and Best Engineering still shut to the world,  it struck me that without Best and without Heartfelt what would those businesses be? Don't those words reach out to grasp your elbow, don't they look you wetly in the eyes? Aren't they the receptacles of dreams, the stuff of fairytales? (Is that Pinocchio I hear in there?)

On the other hand, perhaps Mr Best owns the engineering firm and never thought twice about calling it what he did; even so, there's still surely something marvellously hopeful about Best Engineering. It's like pinning your flag to the mast, naming a son. And if there was (is) a Mr Best, he must have smiled to himself when the sign was hoisted over the roller door. You can't deny the felicitousness of the surname - the blessing it gives.

On a bit further, and there's that property on the corner where the gangs used to live, or at the very least they lived in the property behind it. It was hard to tell. I do remember a black flag and, I don't think I'm imagining it, barbed wire. But here it is now, all cleaned up, and on the high fence there's a real estate sign the height of a large child with red letters that cry out: 'Location, Location, Location.'

Language is largely about hope, surely, and about wishes and dreams and stories and what we want things to be. Otherwise we'd just have pointed.

7 comments:

maggie@at-the-bay.com said...

Mary, such an evocative and passionate blog about language and I hesitate to lower the tone, but can't help but giggle, knowing that in the same vicinity as heartfelt and best, is the not so discreet working man's brothel the Quarry Inn with the by-line "Our business is doing pleasure" which you have to say is another optimistic use of language. I'm at work and a quick check of the blogs sets me up for the day.

Simon said...

Lovely piece Mary, very evocative of that drive through Seaview early in the morning, thinking thoughtful thoughts ...

Mary McCallum said...

Maggie, did you really hesitate to lower the tone? At a guess there was a split second between your mind leaping gazelle-like straight to the naughty stuff and your fingers tapping on the work keyboard... (-: I am smiling broadly of course. You are absolutely right, the Quarry Inn - the name and its by-line - are exercises in the hopefulness of words. A brothel as reputable business (like a quarry even) ... well why not? And thanks for your comment Simon - I very much enjoyed your blog piece on silence in the country ....

maggie@at-the-bay.com said...

Gazelle-like - lovely - I'll hold on to that - it makes my digression sound graceful, even if it is a downward graceful sort of leap. Yes, "I hesitate to" is merely a preamble or courteous disclaimer I suppose (language playing games) but truly, for a moment I really did hesitate... because your blog was so eloquent and beautiful - but hey, I'm an incorrigible gazelle.

Mary McCallum said...

Lovely indeed - an incorrigible gazelle ... it could be a lot worse... actually thinking about it, you're more of a springbok, Maggie ... literally springing and then springing again ... not hesitating one bit ... although I am sure in this instance you did in fact pause head bowed a moment before Best Heartfelt before putting the Quarry Inn out into the blogosphere. But thanks, really, thanks, for your nice comments. It's so good to get them.

Pam Morrison said...

Heartfelt compliments for this Best piece of writing Lovely to read!

Claire Beynon said...

Love this, Mary - every word of it.

Especially the bit where you suggest 'language is largely about hope...' Wouldn't that make a fine billboard or banner?

L, C