Foghlaim Dé hAoine

I'm going to cheat a little this week and take something from a website that my brother found amusing last week. Daltaí na Gaeilge. Besides having word lists, phrases, grammar, and games, the site also has sound files so you can actually hear how the words are meant to sound.

I was particularly interested in the proverbs section and I found one that I want to integrate into my personal philosophy.

Bíonn gach duine go lách go dtéann bó ina gharraí.

I get a fantastic visual of a cow standing in the middle of my garden, with a flower plant on her head. Broken pottery is strewn around behind her and she's left a large hole in my whitewashed wall. But then what - do I laugh or cry or throw jagged pottery pieces at the offending bovine? That's what the proverb is all about - your true nature is revealed when you face adversity.

You can listen to someone who knows how to say it.