Heavy

Heavy is the opposite of light. Heavy means it takes strength to lift or carry. Something that is heavy has the image, in my mind, of something physically large. But wait, a heavy thought can burden me as much as an object that weighs a lot. Interesting that. What is a heavy thought? I suppose it is one that is a drag, a burden, on my happiness. That seems familiar enough. Hmmm?

How come we pronounce that ‘ea’ in the word heavy as if it were an ‘e’ like in the word levy or Chevy? Word pronunciation rules are quite a quagmire. No wonder I had such a heavy time with spelling in my early school years. In chemistry a heavy metal is a metallic element, high in density, toxic and poisonous even in low concentrations; like arsenic, mercury and more. What does this have to do with heavy metal music?

A heavy atmosphere can apply to the feeling of a pre-rain afternoon or the feelings in the room when we lose the election. The first is a precursor, predicting the heavy rain. The latter is a post climax event, an expression of disappointment, sometimes even despair. Wow, that is heavy. A person who has a lot of weight might be called heavy. Yet, that might not have anything to do with how heavy their step is

A heavy heart is a feeling of expecting a colorless future or even a dark event. The common theme is the absence of a positive expectation. That absence, for instance in expecting or experiencing a relational breakup can be so heavy that we might start to believe we will not be able to bear it. But we do. We, somehow, manage to come through the heaviest experiences. Just so hard while in them

How can something heavy turn into something light, or vice versa? Granddaughter says that her eyelids are not heavy in daytime, but each weigh 40 pounds, very heavy, when it is time to sleep. So, we have one undeniable example. The heavy heart or bearing something heavy on my mind can turn to lightness through what? Am thinking something like love or Acceptance or remembering ‘what’ we are. What say you?