I like the word valiant. It evokes images of knights in slightly dented, well-used armour vanquishing dragons against overwhelming odds to rescue those eternal damsels in distress. Courage, brave endeavour and determination.
The word popped into my head this morning as we set off on the school run and I noticed the hopeful shoots sprouting from the base of a wild plum sapling that didn’t make it through last summer. The dead wood above ground belied the vital force still coursing in its roots. A good winter’s rain nourished it and this spring it is trying again, growing from nothing, confident that we will water it properly this summer and not let it down. Valiant.
I live on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia and we've had a highly unusual snowstorm that's had it snowing hard for two full days and a night...it's virtually shut down my area of the coast. Let's hope the plants, shrubs and trees in my garden take note of your valiant little plum and managed to survive their cold blanket of white!
ReplyDeletea truly beautiful word, truly representational of the action it describes.
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ReplyDeleteValiant. That's a word we don't hear often these days. I feel like on of those battle-weary knights today, but only because I have struggled with three loads of washing from my 4 grubby boys... best wishes!
ReplyDeleteLast year, Elliot (age 10 then) took to calling himself either Elliot V or Elliot the Bold, and signing things that way. When I wrapped their Christmas presents, I wrote Elliot the Bold on his, then when I wrapped Abel's (then age 8), I wrote Abel the Valiant. He looked at it, crinkled up his whole face, and said, "Abel the Violent?" Sigh...
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