The languages of love

 In the kitchen researching for the doctorate
Black marker on bond paper
12 x 14 inches
Barbara Muir © 

One of the great pleasures in my life has been travel.  I love going somewhere new, and 

finding out about how little I know.  I was lucky to grow up in Ottawa, and to start learning

French at a young age. So I can stumble a bit in that language. I took German in grade 10, and 

somehow those lessons stuck, so I can understand some of what my fellow artists post on 

Instagram, Facebook and their blogs. I am part Italian, and can understand a little Italian.  

I'm married to a Dutch Canadian, and have a wonderful Dutch friend in the Netherlands, 

so a few Dutch words have come to me that way. A smattering of Latin helps me decipher 
some English words.

But I just read that there are 6500 spoken languages in the world.  I feel lucky that

my curiosity about languages continues.  I also feel lucky to teach a one night a week

writing course to people from all over the world, which has made me aware of how little

I know about the world and its many rich languages.

To be fair English tops the list of the 12 most popular languages in the world. But how
wonderful it is to be able to say thank you to someone in their own language.  And how
lonely it must feel to walk through the streets of Toronto and not hear your own language.
So on this day in the Month of Love, I'd like to add language as one of the things I love.  

Have a loving learning new things day.