Quotidian – Wordplay Wednesday™ 11/15/17

Same-O-Same-O! But What If …? 

Need to get the hum humming in your ho-hum day? Identify those aspects that make life boring and “routine.” Flex your mindful muscles, and get off the same old carousel! 

It’s nearly time for a New Year. Look ahead … start now with new life experiences and retire the …

QUOTIDIAN (kwō tidʹe ɘn) adj. – 1) daily, recurring every day; 2) everyday, usual or ordinary; –n. anything, esp. a fever, that recurs daily. [WW #138]

From the tip of your head—same old quotidian hairstyle you’ve had for a decade, to the tip of your pointy-toed shoes—find a new experience in an excursion where you can walk, ride, or mindfully float away from quotidian habits.

Adventure should always be a part of life. Yes, at any age. Even if it’s all in your mind …

Our memories and imaginations are a wonderful thing. Exercise your right to escape the quotidian banalities of your day. Take a quixotic stroll down Memory Lane, back to some good ol’ days; or propel yourself into a fantasy of exotic adventures, all without leaving your chair, if need be.

We’re told it isn’t healthy to agonize over the “what-ifs” of life, as they apply to missed opportunities. I was recently reminded that looking forward with positive what-ifs for the future, can thrust you out of your quotidian present, to imagine the what-ifs of tomorrow. Where might you find new, better opportunities? (Take a bow, Ron, for that imaginative response to my lame lament.)

Word Challenge: QUOTIDIAN. Yep, it’s time to start looking backwards and forwards as you update, upgrade, and uplift your life. Dispose of the quotidian as you fit what-ifs into your week of contemplative writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week … 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

Facebook

E-N-D

Nonce – Wordplay Wednesday™ 11/08/17

♪ Live for Today! Sha la la la la ♪ 

We are often reminded to live in the present. Especially when faced with fears that await us on a daily basis.

Put your inhibitions aside. Recall fondly, the past—look forward eagerly to the future—but live for today!*

NONCE (näns) n. – the present use, occasion, or time; time being; chiefly in, for the nonce. [WW #137]

Hmmmm. The dictionary didn’t give this word any particular connotation, as in a regional dialect, or foreign expression. I rather thought it sounded like something the British would use.

Apparently though, it’s just a plain ol’ word not often heard. So here you are! Something new to amaze your friends when you slip nonce into conversation or text. (Still think it needs a British accent.)

… Hmmm, the above comment was made before I dove further into the history of nonce. Seems Wiktionary goes beyond the dictionary definition to nonce’s likely origin. “Etymology 3: Contraction of number used once.”

Okay, but above that I found my earlier inflection instincts were spot-on! “Etymology 2: Unknown. UK criminal slang. Possibly originally from dialectal nonce, nonse (“stupid, worthless individual”), or Nance, nance (“effeminate man”), from Nancy boy.” (A derogatory term that we do not condone. 

 

However, I’m not British, and I much prefer the standard dictionary use, for the nonce. It has a certain je ne sais

quoi… to quote the French. “For the time being” is lifeless … but for the nonce holds charm.

* In case you’re just a young’un and didn’t catch the song reference, we agreed with artists The Grass Roots 50 years ago when fans pushed their bouncy, prophetic tune “Let’s Live for Today,” up to #4 on WCFL/Chicago’s Sound 10 Survey. (June 29, 1967) In the video, vintage TV host and comedian, Jimmy Durante introduced The Grass Roots with, "They don't have a manager, they have a gardener!" Cue the drum-roll.

Word Challenge: NONCE. For those moments when you must stay put, for the nonce. Consider the advantages as you fit nonce into your week of one-and-done writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week … 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

Facebook

E-N-D

Effulgence – Wordplay Wednesday™ 11/01/17

First Light of the Holiday Season 

I know … it’s difficult to leave behind the heady mystique and spiritual effervescence of October. It’s time now though, to welcome the charity and spirit of Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season, with open arms, and …

EFFULGENCE (e fulʹjɘns, i-) n. – great brightness; radiance; brilliance  [WW #136]

This time of year cannot but add a little sparkle and effulgence into the dreariest of lives … if you let it … if you give it.

Many have suffered this year, in acts of nature and the brutality of evil. It is not easy to look up from that if you are coping with the aftereffects. For some, the only way is to seek the effulgence, however dim it may appear, at first.

A wrap-up story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat quoted a survivor of California’s historically worst wildfires last month, and demonstrates the pain and poignancy. “…‛We’re homeless,’ she said — not sadly at all, more like she was announcing a forthcoming trip to Paris. ‛They say it’s good to experience new things as we grow older,’ she said, leaning on her cane. ‛And I’ve never been homeless before.’”

Even through anguish, the aroma of a simple turkey-and-gravy frozen dinner can evoke effulgence and fond memories of Thanksgivings past, and gratitude for survival, present.

We’re heading into a rather somber Holiday Season. For children—of all ages, as we can all be children at this time of year—the season’s effulgence in one string of Holiday lights can brighten a life. Just ask Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

Think charity and thanksgiving this month—offer effulgence to someone who may not otherwise feel the luster of life.

Word Challenge: EFFULGENCE. Feel the light and see the brightness, inside and out, as you fit effulgence into your week of charitable writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week … 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

Facebook

E-N-D