"A preposition is a word—and almost always a very small, very common word—that shows direction (to in "a letter to you"), location (at in "at the door"), or time (by in "by noon"), or that introduces an object (of in "a basket of apples"). Prepositions are typically followed by an object, which can be a noun (noon), a noun phrase (the door), or a pronoun (you)." Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
According to one source, there are about 150 words that qualify as prepositions in addition to several phrases.
Whew!
I intended that this article be a quick read. My thinking was that you deserved short and sassy because some of the recent articles were somewhat protracted. This, however, is just a nice way of saying that I am feeling lazy today. Never mind. Let’s just get through this.
I will not be analyzing 150 tiny words. For today, I will concentrate on only two “very small” words showing “direction” with people” as the pronoun.
To.
I am afraid that I am finally (well I am finally admitting it) falling behind in the world of technology. I can no longer keep up with all the latest communication apps available to us. The word, "pointless" comes to mind, but that's probably age speaking. Nevertheless, some exposure is inevitable. Today, I read about a current TikTok trend called, “Beaning.”
Apparently, people have created a new form of the age-old game, ding-dong ditch. (That’s what it was called about the time television was introduced to the masses. Oh, and television is a vacuum-tube-filled box that sits on a stand in the living rooms of American families so that people can gather to watch silly 30-minute sitcoms, the news, and Johnny Carson.)
So, this beaning thing occurs when people buy cans of garbanzo (or red, black, white, and probably baked) beans and then proceed to dump them on the doorsteps and cars of unsuspecting neighbors. I conclude that this might just be one disadvantage of tab-opening canned goods. Perhaps this game could be eliminated if one was required to keep a trusted can opener handy to complete their appointed rounds. But what do I know?
It’s a craze, for certain. And I agree, it’s silly and mostly inconsequential but with millions of likes and shares, it’s just a today-version of things we do TO other people
For.
And this is the simple preposition capable of changing your life. Yup. Three letters. Life-Changing.
It is true, of course, that “to” isn’t always a BAD thing. It's just that I seem trapped in the idea that when we do something TO another, it usually is.
Contrast that with something you do FOR someone, and you get a completely different outcome. I experience difficulties when trying to think of a BAD thing that we do FOR someone else.
Sometimes, when I write these things, I use post-it notes to remind me just what I want to work on during the upcoming days. I will be applying these little yellow papers featuring this small word around my environment to do just that. I want to be reminded to do things FOR someone else this week rather than TO them.
True. Small words on small stickies might seem insignificant, but before you know it, I might be less of a small person.
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did FOR one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did FOR me." Matthew 25: 40
