More Essential Words You've Never Heard Before

According to the Oxford Dictionary, there are approximately 171,476 words in the English language, plus 5, as noted by this post. So, why is it there are so many persons, places, things and ideas that have not been assigned an official word? For example. The space inside the handle of a coffee cup. Wordless.

Move over, Webster, because creating combinations of consonants and vowels is my 7th favorite hobby. And, thanks to my helpful sidekick/sister, a new wave of vernacular is about to invade your vocabulary.

wat [wat] (coined by Marissa B.)
noun
-A cat that resembles a whale
The wat buried its head in its food after pancaking the small child. 

coffeeDHD [also known as Coffee Dependence Hyperactivity Disorder]
noun
-The state of hyperactivity brought about by continual caffeine intake via coffee
"My coffeeDHD is flaring up again," she said as she yelled as she pretended the bed was a trampoline.

gnarsty [nar-stee]
adjective
-The combination of gnarly and nasty used to describe the highest level of grossness on earth as we know it
The smell of sweat mixed with fart mixed with taco meat is straight up gnarsty. 

logoxuria [low-go-zur-ee-ah]
noun
-The feeling of a mixture of awe and envy felt when reading a passage you wish you wrote.
Logoxuria washed over me as I marveled at the words on the page.

chog [chog] (coined by Marissa B.)
noun
1. A dog that is treated as a child.
2. A child that acts like a dog.
The chog enjoyed sticking her face out the car window and barking at unassuming pedestrians (based on a true story)

Have a wonderfully worded Wednesday!

Imissionation: Where am I going in life

Thursday afternoon, I had the opportunity to meet with two Indy-based PR professionals who are rockstars in the industry. Wide-eyed and with pen in hand, I tried to make like a sponge and soak up every word they said while scribbling bits of the conversation in my trusty composition notebook (almost identical to the ones sitting in front of them. Take that, iPads).

Like gum to the bottom of a shoe, the advice they offered that has stuck with me since that meeting has been the cruciality of strategy in communication. Every word an organization utters, whether it be on a social media outlet, in a press release, or on the company website, must somehow fit into that organization's goals and vision for the future. You must have a plan in which every action fits. 

So that got me thinking. I found myself rewinding to stormy Tuesday night, grabbing a midnight snack with my best goons and talking about life. We were playing "The Question Game" (probably my favorite thing ever), and inquiring about random things. The question, "What is your mission in life?" came up. Dots connected. The same way a strategy must be implemented into a communication plan really should also be a factor in life. 

How often do I find myself just meandering through the day-to-day, with zero forward thinking and no rhyme or reason to my actions? 

I need a plan. And a mission. And imagination. 

I need imissionation. 

imissionation - noun

1. the culmination of one's life mission and vision for the future

2. an attitude which drives one to creatively seize the day

3. a rejection of complacency as to live life to the full

Here we go.

Main Mission:

To spread the love of Jesus in a way that creatively redeems the broken elements of a fallen world. 

I think sometimes, Christ-followers get stuck in the idea that we must either reject the world completely, or throw all caution to the wind and dance on ice with it. I believe, in following in Christ's example, we are called to engage with culture in a way that redeems it. God is in the process of redeeming all creation to Himself, and if we're not helping that process, we're hindering it. A Christ-followers reactions to most situations are the exact opposite of any old human's. With Jesus guiding you, people will notice a difference. And that is exactly what I want. 

Goal 1:

Put God first, others second, and myself third on the priority list. Always.

Goal 2:

Live up to the responsibilities God has given me in being a role model. 

My family is such a unique and beautiful construction. Being the oldest child (by 7 and 10 years), I'm humbled and honored by the role God has given me in my two little sister's lives. Its something I don't take lightly, because I have a responsibility to set a positive example and come alongside my parents in raising them to be Godly women. Burkhardt Babes for life.

Goal 3: 

Carpe all diems. 

I refuse to let opportunities slip through my fingers. My bucket list gets longer every day, and every day Today, Monday, July 1st (holy smokes its already July!?), I'm the oldest I've ever been and the youngest I'll ever be again (thanks for that, Eleanor Roosevelt). Time to get carpe-ing.

Goal 4:

Lifelong bestfriendship with the King of Kings.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Galatians 1:10

If any word, thought, or action doesn't fit in with the imissionation I have laid out, its got to go. Life is short, people! Live it up.

5 words essential to your vocabulary you have never heard before

I don't have much in common with Shakespeare. The guy seems pretty cool, but the hundreds of years and difference in continents would definitely put a damper on any budding friendship. However, I would have liked to pick ol' Willy's brain on our shared love of words.

Along with writing some pretty influential stuff, W-Shake also invented over 1,000 words still used today. I don't know about the rest of the population, but if 600 years from now, a chunk of words created by me invaded the English language, I'd (posthumously) be pretty stoked.

So, out with the old and in with the new. Alas, good people, heartily I say unto you, 5 words essential to your vocabulary in which ye have never heard before.

meteorolie [me-tee-yor-o-lahy]
noun

• A falsehood uttered by the weatherman regarding the weather conditions to arise during a specified period of time 

The girl was distraught by the meteorolie heard before she was knocked unconscious by hail .during what was forecasted to be a sunny day.

peeplexed [pee-pleck-sd]
verb

• A state in which one is engaging in an intense conversation but urgently needs to urinate

The girl was extremely peeplexed while listening to a friend's relationship woes.

caffeinavore [caf-een-a-vor]
noun

1. One who depends solely on caffeine for energy and nourishment 
2. Every college student in the United States 

Beware of the caffeinavores at Starbucks during prime consumption hours. 

mattrecomb [mat-tray-comb]
noun

1. The dark, cavernous space under one's bed known to consume articles of clothing and pets
2. A habitat for various monsters
3. See also mattress and catacomb

The small child feared the depths of the mattrecomb.

spambush [spam-bush]
verb

1. A large number of junk emails all arriving in a short period of time time
2. An attack using popular canned "meat" as the primary weapon of choice 

I believe my inbox is about to be spambushed. 

Challenge accepted, Shakespeare. More words to come. What are some words you believe should be adopted by the English language?

Snowquiescence

As I stepped out into the January atmosphere, I met the morning for the second time. While many were still beginning their day, mine was well underway, as I had been coaxed out of sleep for class over two hours prior. The eyes had been rubbed and the coffee made, but I still felt I had yet to truly begin. Leaving the building wrapped in my silky down coat, a white blanket of clouds softly sprinkled snow onto the ground. As I walked, I became abundantly aware of the hush that had accompanied the accumulation under my feet. It was almost as if each snowflake absorbed all sound, swallowing up every shout and footstep from across campus. The stillness was sweet. With flakes surrounding me and my steady exhalations the only sound to be heard, I felt a calmness saturating the air. The sound of snowqueiscence.

I am generally not winter's biggest fan, but there is just something about snowquiescence that feels magical. Looking out from inside a warm house at a world sealed in white always has a peaceful effect. Combine it with a comfy sweater, a hot drink, a journal, and the instrumental version of England by The National, and you've got yourself a recipe for a perfect winter day.

Curiophany

I felt it for the very first time strolling down a swarming sidewalk. The chilly air nipped at my cheeks; a reminder that this was real. Taxi tail lights danced down the streets like guests at a ball. Echoing car horns and the click-clacking of millions of feet created a symphony of city sound. The smell of winter and fresh soft pretzels collided as bundled street vendors called out to the crowds. Items in store windows smiled and winked from inside their glass cages. My eyes desperately tried to savor every color and shred of light offered by massive billboards, like a frantic child during an Easter egg hunt. Gaze shifting upward, thousands of glistening windows decorating mile high buildings framed the velvety night sky.

I was sixteen when New York City swept me off my feet. 

The feelings I had towards Manhattan I couldn't describe. The mixture of wonder, excitement, curiosity and longing was left unnamed, because it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. And I never experienced this kind of affinity for a city again.

Until I visited Chicago.

During a weekend in the Windy City with my family, the strange concoction of feelings returned. The culmination of emotions left me planning my future in Chicago; picking out an apartment, nailing down the closest Starbucks, and watching my 25-year-old self walking to work in heels and a classy peacoat. 

And then I found myself in Los Angeles...

Shortly before I wound up in San Francisco. 

Each time I visit a new city, the pull returns. I picture myself doing life there, jogging through Central Park, shopping on Michigan Avenue, or grabbing lunch at Pier 39. I construct a future against the backdrop of the skyline while wondering about adventures to be had. 

This phenomenon, I decided, is known as curiophany. 

Maybe the only person on earth to have experienced curiophany. Or maybe there are others who find time spent in new cities more inspiring than any tangible item. One thing I'm sure of, however, is that I plan to let curiophany fuel the pursuit of my dreams. I will live somewhere incredible someday, and wake up every morning falling more in love with a beautiful city.