Without
I adore that word. It has a lovely double meaning. One is akin to “outside”, and one is akin to “excepting.” I didn’t realize until recently that the two are related in a very intricate way. “Without you” is an excellent example. Without you is without you, no? That which is beyond oneself is besides oneself. It’s a sort of reality check, I like to think. When things get too personal, without is a good reminder that there is some arrangement of gears that moves of its volition, whatever that volition may bring. It’s kind of an exhalation, the perfect opposite to “within.” Stuff like this makes me love the English language despite its flaws.
