"Sill": an unsilly word

I’ve been circling back to the word “sill” recently. Its delicate phonetics sound like the word itself draws a fine line that can either mark a resistant threshold or a cusp from which to tumble into the world. A sill outlines a window behind which we can stand or through which we can climb.

I sometimes find that metaphorical sills are hard to cross, especially when they entail speaking up and letting words stumble out my mouth but the delightful subtlety of the word itself warms me to the experience of straddling that line and taking that step

Banner photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash