Finding New Directions, Connections, and Growth in Language

Ever wondered how idioms can mirror our personal growth journey? Join me, Stephen McHugh, as I share examples of my own story from the autism spectrum exploring the world of idioms.

In this first episode of the podcast’s new direction, I reflect on and explore the idioms 'Turning Over a New Leaf', and 'Christmas Comes Once a Year', and their deep connection to examples of my autistic experiences. I share how the moments of growth and change have shaped my life, and how understanding idioms like this one can provide unique insight into both language and self-discovery. Join me as I begin my journey of exploration of the intersection of figurative language, personal transformation, and the lens of autism. 

Please note: In the section on “Christmas comes once a year,” I reflect on a past experience of buying gifts to children who may have been in difficult circumstances during the holiday season. While this is a personal story shared with the intent of spreading kindness, I understand this topic may be sensitive for some listeners.

Thanks for listening. You can find me on my website stephensevolution.com, or on twitter here. You can sign up to receive news of new episodes when they're released here.


Artwork produced by Elena Designe
Music composed by Nela Ruiz

Chapters

• 3:09 The Phrase "Turning Over a New Leaf"
• 7:33 The Phrase "Christmas Comes Once a Year"
• 11:43 Listener Participation

Transcript

Stephen McHugh: 0:23

Hi there, and welcome back to the Stephen's Evolution podcast. I'm Stephen McHugh, and I create episodes every two weeks where I share my insights, reflections and personal experiences as someone on the autism spectrum. This episode is the start of a new direction for this podcast. Going forward, what I'll be doing is focusing on a topic that's both personal and interesting to me. It is to do with language development and communication. This will include exploring figurative language like idioms, metaphors and inferences, all in relation to my lived experiences. Language has been, for me, an important part of my journey. Over the years, I've been learning how to navigate its nuances, and make more sense of its subtleties. I'm excited to share what I've learned along the way, what I'm still learning, and how these concepts relate to my personal experiences. This episode will focus on two idioms that have stood out to me in recent times. They are "urning over a new leaf and Christmas comes only once a year. What I'll share is what they mean to me and how they've connected to me at this time of the year.

Stephen McHugh: 2:29

But before I get stuck in, what I want to do is mention that this will be my last episode before I take a break for the Christmas and New Year holidays. I aim to be back with a new episode in the second week of January. Anyway, let's get started with this episode's topic and take a closer look at these two meaningful idioms.

Stephen McHugh: 3:16

And now in this section, I'll be getting started with the first idiom, 'Turning Over a New Leaf'. To me, this phrase is about making a fresh start or deciding to do something in a different way. This idiom, in recent times, took on a new meaning when I made a small but important change. It was where I made an adjustment in how I cook chips in the air- fryer, not that long ago, a matter of weeks. What I did was I overcooked some chips by leaving them in for about 25 minutes. They came out a little bit on the crispy side. Okay, but let's be honest, they were a little bit burnt, to be more exact. Afterwards, what I realised was I perhaps should have cooked them for less time, maybe for 20 or 22 minutes. The next time I tried cooking chips in the air- fryer, I made that adjustment and the results were much better. To you this might sound like a small thing, but it was this experience that really captured the essence of turning over a new leaf here. What it taught me was it can be about recognising what didn't work, and learning from the mistake I made, and making a change for the better.

Stephen McHugh: 5:12

This idiom, I feel, is relevant to another decision I've made recently in relation to my podcast. It is to do with taking it in this new direction, where I'll be talking about language development and communication. This choice wasn't made at random. What it came from was, I noticed the strong interest in my blog posts about, and related to language development, especially my short stories about idioms, where I try to make it easier for those on the autism spectrum, to try and help them understand them more easily.

Stephen McHugh: 6:04

I also noticed a high number of listeners on a past podcast episode in which part of its title is 'From Literal to Figurative', which explored some similar themes. What I feel these experiences did was, help me to see that 'turning over a new leaf' is more than just about learning from mistakes. It can also be about welcoming change and trying something different, instead of worrying about what could go wrong. It's tweaking how you may cook chips, or making important decisions. I think this idiom, in my eyes, reminds me that it's OK to try and experiment, learn and, at the same time, grow. What does this idiom mean to you? I'd like to hear your thoughts or stories about moments when you yourself may have turned over a new leaf.

Stephen McHugh: 7:33

Before I move on to the next section, what I want to do is mention that it touches on the theme of giving during the Christmas season, particularly to those who may find themselves in difficult situations. While I'll be sharing my personal experiences and reflections, I understand that this topic might be sensitive for some of you. If you feel you may find this topic difficult, you can feel free to skip ahead or take a moment to pause and reflect. Thank you for taking care of yourself as you listen to this episode.

Stephen McHugh: 8:26

And now I'm going to move on to the next idiom, 'Christmas Comes Once a Year'. For me, this phrase is more than just being reminded that Christmas only happens in the month of December, then it's gone until next year. It's a call to make the most of this special time, in the short time that it happens, to reflect on what it means to us and maybe think about doing something that may be a little extra meaningful. This has recently got me thinking back to a place where I used to work. Every year we'd have the opportunity, to try and bring some holiday cheer to children who might need it the most. What we could do was put our names next to a child's age and buy them a gift, something small but thoughtful. We could do this voluntarily. I loved the idea of participating in this tradition. This tradition, by just imagining how those gifts might have brightened someone's day, made the season feel that bit more special for me.

Stephen McHugh: 10:19

To me, the phrase 'Christmas comes once a year', can also be a reminder for us to slow down and think about how we can share and spread joy, not just through gifts, but through acts of kindness, connection and thoughtfulness. It can be a chance for us to make the season, memorable in the best way, whether it's for easily, ones, friends, our community or even for ourselves, for that matter. Of course, I know not everyone will celebrate Christmas, and the holidays can mean many different things, but what I think here is the heart of this idiom is universal. It can be about embracing the moment, spreading happiness and kindness and cherishing what we have during the time that it's here. What does this season mean to you. Do you have any traditions or special ways of making it meaningful to others or yourself? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. And now, in this next section, I'd like to turn things over to you. Are there any idioms that have maybe meant something to you recently? It could be one that may have just caught your attention for the first time, with the season of Christmas fast approaching at the time of this recording. Are there any seasonal idioms or sayings that have stood out and still stand out to you? Or maybe you might have encountered an idiom or phrase that you found tricky or

Stephen McHugh: 12:26

hard to work out what it means? I'd be open to hearing your thoughts and experiences. You'll be able to share your ideas in a few ways. There's a link in the episode description, where you can text the podcast to reach out, or you will be able to leave a comment on the associated blog post with this episode. Your insights will be welcomed, and might even inspire ideas for me for future episodes or topics, so don't hesitate to join in the conversation if you want to.

Stephen McHugh: 13:20

And that brings us to the end of this episode, the final one for this year 2024. I'll see you all in the new year with a brand new episode on Tuesday, the 7th of January 2025. For that particular episode, I plan to talk about how I use the origins of idioms to try and work out their meanings more easily and show how you can use this approach too. For me, it's a topic I'm very interested and excited to explore, and I hope you can join me for it. Explore, and I hope you can join me for it. In the meantime, if you wish to stay updated regarding newly released episodes or any other podcast-related news, just head over to a section near the footer of the homepage of my website, stephensevolution. com. There you will find a link called Stay in the Loop. Before I go, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope the season is filled with joy, warmth, warmth and moments to cherish and remember. Thank very much for listening, and until next time, take care..