D: Distance

Etymology: The origin of this symbol and spectrum

This “d” as distance grew from the middle out—gradually, my “d” got squashed together if I wanted to show that something was close. Then it got stretched out if I wanted to show that something was further away. The middle ground is takes up the same amount of space as the other letters—so it is a comfortable place to be.

Orthography: How to remember these symbols

A d is really the greek “delta”, only with an extra loop at the bottom rather than a straight line (to make it seem a bit more fancy and to help ensure that those who know Greek don’t recognize it right off.

The close “d” gets so scrunched up that triangle becomes a loop—and the bottom loop hangs out at the end. The closer and tighter your loop, the closer the distance is between the objects you are describing.

The far “d” has become just a line with a loop at the end—the longer the line, the farther the distances.

Philosophy: How I use these symbols to embrace life

I use the close “d” to think about all the things that are close to me—and I lift my pen as I break off that last little line close to the loop. This helps me think of what I could touch if I just kept my pen on the paper at that point—what could be right at the end of that little loop.

I use the far “d” to indicate how far I feel from something. If I slant the far “d” up, then I feel like I can stretch through the sky or upwards to try to reach desire—or I can slant the “d” down to indicate that I feel like I am drowning or falling down, or extending down into the depths to reach my desire.