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With whimsy, imagination and a little something from the heart. |
 Zany is defined as “amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic”. You might describe a friend’s sense of humour or sense of style as being zany. It’s a word the Italians gave us. Not the Romans, the Italians, the Venetians to be precise.
Zany entered English in the late 1500s to mean a “comic performer”. Zanni was a character in the Italian commedia dell’arte. It came from French zani, and before that from Italian zanni (a zany or a clown). The word zanni was originally a name, Zanni. In the Venetian dialect of Italian this was their word for Gianni, which is the shortened or pet form of Giovanni (John). The closest equivalent in English would be Jack as the pet form of John. Learning the source of words is most interesting to me, especially the more unusual ones. I am rather fond of the word and definition of zany. Honestly, I believe we would be well-served to dip into a zany pool now and then. Humor, fun, playfulness is good for us. With the completion of the alphabet, I will be taking a few weeks off. Hope to return as the holidays approach. Take care. Be well. Try on a little zaniness!
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 While physical aging is inevitable, being young at heart allows individuals to maintain a sense of vitality and purpose, leading to a more fulfilling and meaningful life. It is about embracing the present moment, staying connected to one's passions, nurturing relationships and social connections.
The concept of being young at heart is not limited to a specific age group or demographic. It is a mindset that can be cultivated and embraced by anyone who chooses to live with a youthful spirit. By adopting a young-at-heart mindset, individuals can experience enhanced well-being, improved relationships, and increased resilience in the face of challenges.  Xenial and xenodochy are both pronounced as if beginning with a z. Xenial and xenodochy both come from ancient Greece with essentially the same meaning other than the first being an adjective and the latter a noun. Both mean hospitality and fellowship, treating people with dignity and respect, doing for others before self .
It seems to me, the bottom line for our time here is about kindness, consideration, respect and service. Have a loving, caring and fun day!  George Bernard Shaw once said, “ You don’t stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing." Research has shown creativity, play and fun are key ingredients for good health and well-being.
Why not use our imaginations, creativity and look through the wrong end of a telescope now and then? As Dr. Seuss says, a little nonsense wakes up the brain cells. You might begin your day deciding what color of the rainbow to slide down. You could walk along listening for the things you cannot hear. Instead of just rushing from point A to point B, you could invent some new letters along the way. Hmmm. What letters might go beyond Z? Add a little whimsy to your day. Whimsy is fun and fun is good. Here’s to your joyful well-being.  I wouldn’t consider myself an actual wordsmith according to it’s definition, but I am a serious fan of all kinds of words. Looking back, I believe my interest in words was triggered by an incident from my 10 year old days. My cousin, who was the same age, and I were playing. One of us said the word ‘nevertheless’ which sent us into fits of laughter. Thus, began my interest in words of all kinds.
Several years ago I was reading an 18th century English novel and came upon the phrase ‘vicissitudes of life. It did not send me into a fit of laughter, but the word ‘vicissitude’ ” did stick with me. BTW it means changes that are not always good ones. When it was time for me to write a few words about the letter V, despite all the lovely, positive V words, vicissitude was the one that stuck  The Oxford English Dictionary defines unicorn as
“1. a mythical animal typically represented as a horse with a single straight horn projecting from its forehead. 2. something that is highly desirable but difficult to find or obtain.” Today’s use of the word uses the second part of the definition. It also refers to a start-up business projected at being worth one billion dollars. My intent here is to use the original meaning of unicorn. I found several quotes that I found delightful, fun and even somewhat uplifting (another great U word). I’ve decided to list some of them hoping to elicit smiles. Be a diamond studded unicorn, unbreakable and unique. When someone told me I live in a fantasy land, I almost fell off my unicorn. Unicorns don’t lose sleep over the opinions of little ponies. A wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn. – Tibetan proverb “Keep calm. There are pink fluffy unicorns dancing on the rainbows.” A unicorn doesn’t stand around and worry about what other unicorns think of it. It just sparkles.” “Everything today has been heavy and brown. Bring me a unicorn to ride about the town.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh Only the unicorn, through its magical grace and purity, can turn the world’s malice into love. Sometimes you just need a unicorn kind of day to remember the beauty and magic of life. The unicorn is a symbol of the power of the imagination, a creature that encourages us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities. Finally, I hope your day is filled with unicorns and glitter.  After reviewing my inner rolodex of thoughts, I came to the following conclusion. The essence of the myriad of thoughts and ideas can be synthesized in the A.A. Milne quote, “A little consideration, a little thought for others makes all the difference. Nothing further needs to be said.”
 Savoring increases positive emotions (which is one reason it impacts mental health), deepens gratitude, facilitates mindfulness, enhances engagement, and provides greater meaning in our lives.
THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF SAVORING A recent study that compared a variety of positive approaches to mental health found that savoring had the biggest connection to higher well-being and lower depression and anxiety. It’s challenging to focus on the bright side while living in a fast-paced world and being immersed in an influx of information heavily centered on negative events. While adversity is part of our common humanity, it does not mean that there is no space for brighter things to happen. Intentionally placing our attention on positive events and prolonging the positive feelings that arise can buffer against negative health outcomes and enable wellbeing. One way of savoring is to recall a positive experience that brought enjoyment or a good feeling and hold onto the memory for 30 seconds. In recalling the instance envision the sights, sounds, aroma. This simple 30 second exercise will help develop neural pathways for happiness.  How many times have you said, “I feel so discombobulated?” Or, noted how a situation felt discombobulated? I have often used that word when I’ve felt out of sorts or life situations have gone awry. Recently, I discovered the word recombobulate. Yes, it is a real word. The dictionary definition states “to think clearly again; to reorient oneself; to get (oneself) back into working order. “
Words are so much fun. There are gazillions of words that have been around for centuries and new ones that are always being created. Recombobulate has now been added to my collection of fun, interesting words to use whenever possible. What words do you particularly enjoy using?  Recently I was noticing some of the quirky things I do. Others would likely call them oddities. I suppose they are. We all have our own particular quirks, oddities, traits. They are simply part of what makes us, us. Why not embrace them, enjoy them in ourselves and in others?
“All the quirks you've spent years trying to hide, they are actually your superpowers; they're what set you apart. They don't make you better. They don't make you worse. They make you you, and only you can be that.” Oliver Stark  Play is a vital and important part of our lives. It’s good to do and good for you! That probably explains why play is universal across all human societies.
It helps us develop when we are children but remains essential in keeping us strong, agile, mentally healthy, and vibrant as adults. At The Strong National Museum of Play we celebrate the importance of play and publish the latest scholarly research on the subject through our peer-reviewed publication the American Journal of Play. Based on that research here are ten reasons why you should make play a part of your everyday life. 1. Play Strengthens You 2. Play Makes You Smarter 3. Play Helps You Solve Problems 4. Play Boosts Creativity 5. Play Reduces Stress 6. Play Helps You Make Friends 7. Play Enhances Attractiveness 8. Play Builds Resilience 9. Play Promotes Discovery 10. Play is Fun”  he Oxford Languages Dictionary defines opportunity as “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.” A few synonyms include chance, time, moment, possibility. Opportunities can be taken, seized, ignored, passed up, gone unnoticed, succeeded, failed, and so on. What role have opportunities played in your life? How have you been able to spot an opportunity and taken advantage of it? Have you ever found an opportunity that came out of a difficult situation? Have you ever wished for an opportunity that did not seem to be in the picture? Have you ever passed on an opportunity and regretted it later? Have you ever created an opportunity for yourself?
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day.” Bob Feller  What are the things we notice and pay attention to throughout our day? How much of what we pay attention to is positive or negative? How do those things affect our mood and demeanor? Noticing and paying attention in the moment are components of mindfulness which affect our well being.
Harvard University professor Ellen Langer, who has studied mindfulness for over 35 years, suggests that being mindful is as simple as noticing new things. She says that when we notice new things. we become engaged which keeps us in the present. It can open us to new perspectives. Noticing new things can help make us more aware of the “glimmers” and good things throughout our day. Greater awareness of those good things can also lead to gratitude which in itself increases well being. Here’s to discovering new things and many glimmers.  While I was growing up, I had the notion that miracles were only those rare, major occurrences like were in the Bible or unexplained healings, etc. Over the years, I have become aware that miracles happen all around us, if we just take a moment to notice. All that happens in nature, someone showing up when most needed while least expected, making a full recovery when recovery was impossible, when animals of different species known to be hostile bond, are just a few instances. Jon Bon Jovi sums it up perfectly: “Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.”
 Notables such as Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project), Tal Ben Shahar (Happier), Martin Seligman (Flourish), Marcy Shimoff (Happy For No Reason), et al have all indicated in their studies on happiness that it is the little things that lead to more lasting happiness than the big things. While that truth applies to any societal condition, it may be even more meaningful during this current difficult and stressful time. I believe we are all looking for some little joys to lift our spirits. What are some little things that may happen throughout the day that bring about a smile? Perhaps there might be some micro moments of positive connection that occurs with someone rather unexpected like meeting up with a friend we haven’t seen in awhile or having someone give us a seat on the subway or bus, or just a passing smile? What are some good things that might happen during the day no matter how small?
When we question if there were any good things in a day, there are often memories of special moments that occurred in our past that can lift our spirits. I know for myself, there are some special memories of my childhood or times with my grandchildren that trigger those feelings of joy. I wish you many moments of sparkles, and little joys throughout your days. |
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