in yesterday’s post i tiptoed up to a dangerous edge, a place i’ve no business going: into the realm of art theory and criticism. i realized that rather than conveying my experience with dennis severs and searching it for lessons, i verged on analysis and jargon. so, before going further, a paragraph or two, mainly for self-reference, about intent. how do i mean to use this space, and what claim have i on your attention?

the seed of this series is a list i made to mark my 50th birthday, of 50 things i’ve learned (see it here), some rules of thumb for life moments, risen from personal experience, within small topics (like entertaining, homemaking, and travel) and large topics (like grace, grief, and gardening).

the list is premised on personal beliefs: that there’s delight in doing small things well; that habit becomes character; that kindness, in all its many guises, is central; that order is desirable; that life style rises from within; and that in those realms where lessons can be simply stated and relied upon, space and clarity emerge, thus aiding thought and consideration of less certain (that is, most) things. i hope that a catalog of best practices might prove useful to a reader; it has already proven to be so for its author.

who am i, to gather and arrange such, and under what authority? self-proclaimed, is all. for many years, my opinions have been, if not valued, at least heard. along the way, every advantage: good parents, wise teachers, deep loves, hard knocks, and lucky breaks. a passion for learning; frequent opportunities to teach.

so, along i’ll go, a few times a week, sharing what i’ve seen and learned, looking to my circle of bright friends for guidance where needed, and relaying, as best i can, some few slender threads of certainty. i considered as a motto ‘overthinking things, so you don’t have to’ but will instead march under the banner ‘looking till i see; learning as i go’.

let me know what you make of it. next time, with bearings more certain, we’ll return to 18 folgate street. while i may not answer the question of whether dennis severs falls into the ‘art’ camp or the ‘camp’ camp, i will surely investigate the question of whether western civilization’s entire span might be decoded from a place setting.