Finally!

“Finally” is a word that is used frequently, but often without a clear understanding of the full implications of the word.  When searching for a definition I came up with several options.  It can mean that something has finally occurred after a long wait.  That achievement often brings with it some sense of satisfaction or even relief.

For instance, last week I wrote about how Bill, my college roommate, and I had lost two extremely close Spades card games to our wives, Pam and Mary Lou.  Two days after last week’s article those ladies won again.  Catastrophe was on the horizon.

Finally, the boys won tonight, going “zero” on three consecutive hands.  There was a sense of relief on our side as we avoided the dreaded shutout.  

This past Saturday, the Auburn Tigers finally won a football game against an SEC opponent.  It does not matter after the season if you lose because of the missed calls by the referees, or because of three missed field goals, or because of any other excuse.  A win or a loss is always remembered as just that, a win or a loss.   After a month of heartbreaking losses, we finally won.

Finally, it is raining again tonight.  It has been an unusually dry Summer across the south.  Our beach at Compass Lake is bigger than it has been in several years.  Our azaleas in Auburn are blooming two seasons ahead of time.  The weather seems all messed up, climate change or not.  A big hurricane is about to pound Jamacia.  Having seen the immense destruction that comes with that type of storm, I send up prayers no matter where the damage is found.  

I finally broke through a long-standing personal weight barrier.  The hospital type scales at our house are precise.  For several years this one weight on the scale seemed to be an impossible barrier.  I would get to the edge and fall back, repeatedly.  The past couple of weeks I have broken the barrier, finally.  The secret?  Hip replacement surgery and an intense dislike of the post-surgery antibiotics.  

The word “finally” can also describe the words at the end of a series or list.  Some might suggest the adverb is best used in conclusion of long sermon, or a political speech.  The Summer is finally over.  The Winter is finally over.  We are never permanently pleased.

In writing, the word often means “in conclusion”.  I guess that means that I am finally done with this article.  

o0o

Dan Ponder can be reached at [email protected]