Dum spiro spero

memento mori

My first year in university was a tough one. The course of veterinary gross anatomy had us all running like a maniac between the lecture theater and dissection lab from early morning until dark. Lab humor, only understandable to those who have actually ‘been there’, helped me maintain a healthy perspective on life no matter what. The Latin language course was compulsory, but we were expected to memorize not only the names of all the organs, but also the names describing all the specific features on an individual bone. Our teachers were experts in Latin language, and from them we learned many phrases, both useful and useless. We even sang four verses of Gaudeamus igitur at the ceremony in the beginning and in the end of academic year. On the last verse, our professors would  stand up and respectfully nod to us all.

Vivat academia,
Vivant professores,
Vivat membrum quodlibet,
Vivat membra quaelibet;
Semper sint in flore!

Which in English is

Long live the university,
Long live the teachers,
Long live each male student,
Long live each female student;
May they always flourish!

I knew a good few Latin phrases before, from a handbook I found in my grandmother’s attic. One of my favorites was Memento mori – it sounded very mysterious and somewhat sad to a ten years old curious and life-loving girl. As an antidote to that one, there was Dum spiro spero – While I breathe, I hope.

tramore_boat_wreck

This winter was very stormy, and three shipwrecks have become exposed on Tramore beach, Co Waterford, uncovered from sand in February. It happens from time to time. When I finally went to see them ( time, tides and weather didn’t want to cooperate for me), the other two were almost gone, and this big one was half buried in sand once again. Another couple of months, and it will be immersed in the sand until the next bad storm.

I was alone in the whole strand. It was shortly after the midday (the lowest tide), and I quickly took photographs and went back to the car. The rain was getting stronger. I was sitting there, eating my sandwich, and it is when all these University memories came back flooding, must be because of the ribs of that old boat, sticking out of the sand like a skeleton of a long dead animal.

Imagine a very young girl with very little experience who finds a book in the attic of an old house, and learns that there is a strange, haunting language in the world, that no one else probably knows! It is what I thought 🙂

If you read the List of Latin phrases, you will realise that this language is still quite alive and widely used.

Since I have long ago grown out of the age when little girls pretend to be smarter and more sophisticated than they actually are, I don’t use Latin phrases without a very good reason, and don’t overuse any quotes altogether. While I breathe, I hope that my own intuition and common sense will help me out. Not that I totally avoid the internet when I look for advice. Some people’s quotes can be very valuable.

quote

I totally agree with this one 🙂 That Slievenamon climb during which I took the picture, was not easy for me.  On the summit, there is a huge pile of stones, a possible entrance to the Celtic underworld… Some people, in hope for a good luck, bring a rock and add to the pile. I hope for a good luck always, but if I want to breathe and stay alive while climbing Slievenamon, I have to forget about taking any rocks up there with me…

estuary

On my way home, the rain eased off and I went for a walk around the Tramore Back Strand estuary. At low tide, the place is all mud and myriads of lugworm castings. Cautious birds gather in the center of the mudflat, and I only saw two Little egrets, and these four geese. I also heard a lark, invisible in the clouds. I always think of my Grandmother’s home when I hear a lark.

I came across a family of Field horsetails – their spore bearing stems come out early, and I love their sturdy look. These plants have been around millions years before the dinosaurs came in the picture. My grandmother used the green stems as a brush to clean her saucepans, and she also said that all the parts of the plant are edible and good for skin and bones.

horsetail

My eyesight went down in the last two weeks. I am so sorry that I don’t visit your blogs as often these days. I will catch up when I get better, and I am working on that. The eyesight problems related to unstable blood sugar are nasty and difficult to fight. There is a natural remedy that my grandmother used – bilberry leaves, flowers, and of course berries. Look forward to Summer Solstice, the best time for gathering most of herbs. While I breathe I hope.

inesemjphotography Have a wonderful weekend!

92 comments

  1. Latin is such a majestic language, and with a music made marble. I love it so much, a pity I don’t know how to speak it.
    Thanks for share your world despite your health problems, but health always is first so I hope you can recover, there is always going to be time to visit blogs, and for now your health is priority dear Inese.
    Wishing you a soon recovering. I am almost blind without glasses and I understand a bit.

    1. Thank you so much, Francis! You know how it is. I am getting a new pair of glasses every two years, and it was always enough. In the last two weeks my vision went down dramatically. I only blame my latest computer work, bad diet and stress. The work is done, the diet is straightened up, and I hope to see improvements soon.
      I don’t know how to speak Latin either. I only know Latin names for plants, animals, anatomy, and some phrases like in situ or de jure 😉

  4. Really enjoyed this post – great reading. I’m very sorry to hear about your eye issues. Love the pictures and the slogan. Perfect. Take care, Jan.

    1. Thank you so much, Andrea! The shipwreck lies far from the shore and it is visible only when the tide is very low, like that day (less than 0.5m). It gave me some 3-4 meters from the water edge for safety 🙂 Still, I wasn’t feeling comfortable with no one around.

  8. Ms Inese, a wonderful post. Thank you so much for sharing. From one who daily fights the sugar dragon daily … take care and know our prayers are with you.
    More later,
    g

  9. Hi Inese. Your photos, memories and musings are enthralling. Will your eyes get better on their own, or do you need to change your food and routine drastically? I hope the changes are not permanent. Very best wishes, Kate.

    1. Thank you Kate! I hope it is not permanent, it never happened before. My eyesight goes down gradually over the years, and this it something new. Hope for the best, thank you!

  10. This is a beautiful post, Inese. My classical education makes all that Latin familiar, and you’re right, it is a universal language, not a dead one. Without it, all of practical science would be a tower of babel.
    To look too much, to see too much—drawing, reading, the internet—are a real strain on our precious eyes. I sympathize because I have the same problem. I once lost the sight in my left eye completely, and was fortunate that it returned after a few months. But I’ve worn glasses since I was eight years old, and will never have clear vision without them. I like to give my vision a rest, sometimes; I quit the glasses and just allow the hard edges of the world to be soft. Another good thing to do, is to go out in the sunlight, close your eyes and let the sun bathe your eyelids. That light is food for the eyes. I hope your problem lessens and thank you for a very thought-provoking post!

    1. Thank you so much for your comment, Cynthia, and for your advice. The sunbathing sounds good, and I will sunbathe my eyelids when I have a chance. I sometimes take my glasses off when I drive on the freeway. At home, I cannot even eat without them because I don’t see what is in my plate. I got my first glasses when I was 40, and I change them every two years. What happened, why did you lose the sight in your eye? It must be very scary.
      Thank you again for reading and for your thoughtful comment.

      1. Why I lost the sight in my eye is a mystery….though doctors, at the time, called it optic neuritis and scared me by saying it was untreatable and a precursor to multiple sclerosis. I don’t put much stock in the so-called health care system, and never have. They have been wonderful for emergencies and acute, “real” problems however……. I have difficulty now, with the mobility of my bones and joints, but no MS…only old age! 🙂

  11. Nice narrative and the accompany pictures. I remember my first year was also the tough one too. I do not like taking some classes that seemed not relate your main major. The classes that related to my major also so new to absorb quickly. Looking back, I think those times were good and fun.

    I hope your eyesight is getting better..

    1. Thank you so much for your comment! Some people say that their first year in uni was just relaxing 🙂 Not me 🙂 But I think it is good to have a first year that sets you straight, and it is fun anyway, because you are young 🙂

  13. Enjoyed reading this, Inese…..dum spiro spero might come in useful… Anyways, look after your health, your WP buddies will stick around

  14. A beautiful post, Inese, filled with nostalgia and introspection.

    Sorry to learn about your vision problems. For a photographer with an eye for the beauty of life and the unexpected, this must be a great struggle. Yes, we don’t get to the hilltop by falling from above. We make it there with force of will and persistence, in spite of all of our heavy baggage.

    Recover soon ❤

  15. Inese, this is a lovely, reflective post. Well done. Also, I had not heard of horse tails, so it was educational too. I’m horribly sorry about your eyesight problem. I get low blood sugar, so I can imagine the kind of difficulty you’re having. Please just take good care of you. Mega hugs. 🙂 ❤

    1. Thank you so much, Teagan! Stress, carbs, and staring at computer screen all the day – it is my problem. Took time off Friday and went to the beach.
      I know you have got the 3rd installment, I will be there soon, to check up on the villain 😉
      Many hugs!!! xxxx

  16. I love your writing and photos and this wandering almost meditative post. Take care of your eyesight and yourself, your friends on WP aren’t going anywhere. 😀 ❤

      1. I get sick too when under stress. I figure it’s my body telling me to unwind and slow down. Someday I’ll self monitor so the body doesn’t need to take over and do it for me 🙂 Someday!

  18. Great photo. I hope your eyesight improves. We all need our eyesight, but for a photographer and storyteller, this must be worrisome.
    I loved Latin sayings and am sorry they are no longer popular. “Infra dig” used to be very cool to say, as were many others. My favorite from school days: Semper ubi sub ubi. Hope it cheers you to hear it again (or for the first time.)

  19. Inese this is a wonderful post. I loved learning more about your history. Please do not worry about wordpress and trying to catch up. Take care of your health, and what is most important. We are here because we love your work. Blessings to you in every way.

    1. Thank you so much, my friend! I am listening to your videos right now, a real treat! I overspent time on computer in the last couple of months, and it added to my eye soreness. I will get better soon.
      Have a blessed weekend!

    1. Oh Bernadette, the post was done ages ago, I just changed it a little. I wanted to add more pictures, but my eyes feel like they are full of sand 😦

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