Floundering

Picture: A Simple Yarn

A day where motivation has deserted you is always a challenge.  More so when there is a lot that has to get done, and it just seems so much more effortful than it usually would (unlike those wonderful days which just get on with themselves and bring you with them).  Tends to bring to mind analogies for what that sort of day feels like (another of those things that another language likely has some wonderfully specific word especially designed to address the circumstance.  Always an interesting insight into the personality of a place, as much as that is possible collectively.  Although which nation would be likely to experience the phenomenon often enough to come up with such a word, I'm really not sure... ). 

Thoughts that spring to mind...
... swimming through treacle*
... trying to push an elephant out of a well

Alice in Wonderland has a great bit about treacle. Especially as it involves the dormouse, who I sometimes feel I can very much relate to...

“Suppose we change the subject,” the March Hare interrupted, yawning. “I’m getting tired of this. I vote the young lady tells us a story.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know one,” said Alice, rather alarmed at the proposal.
“Then the Dormouse shall!” they both cried, “Wake up, Dormouse!” And they pinched it on both sides at once.
The Dormouse slowly opened its eyes. “I wasn’t asleep,” it said in a hoarse, feeble voice, “I heard every word you fellows were saying.”
“Tell us a story!” said the March Hare.
“Yes, please do!” pleaded Alice.
“And be quick about it,” added the Hatter, “or you’ll be asleep again before it’s done.”
“Once upon a time there were three little sisters,” the Dormouse began in a great hurry; “and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well—”
“What did they live on?” said Alice, who always took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking.
“They lived on treacle,” said the Dormouse, after thinking a minute or two.
“They couldn’t have done that, you know,” Alice gently remarked. “They’d have been ill.”
“So they were,” said the Dormouse; “very ill.”
Alice tried a little to fancy to herself what such an extraordinary way of living would be like, but it puzzled her too much: so she went on:
“But why did they live at the bottom of a well?”
“Take some more tea”, the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

Picture: If The Rain Comes on Flickr

Interestingly, the 'elephant out of well' idea came to mind before I thought of there being a treacle reference in Alice in Wonderland, also involving a well. I wonder (as you do, given it's wonderland... clang...) whether there was some sort of subconscious recollection of the well, or if it should just be put down to serendipity and the usual sort of oddness. (The elephants, as you may gather, I seem to have well and truly had on the brain the past few days, so no question where they came from).


* Clearly, the golden syrup yesterday got to me, and prompted thoughts of treacle. Although treacle tends not to need very much prompting. Especially if you're a dormouse...