Tag Archives: Word of the day

December Sunset Artistry: Opacarophile

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Do you love to look up at the sky as much as I do?

Opacarophile is the term to describe one who loves sunsets. It’s derived from the Latin word opacare (dusk or sunset) and the Greek word phile (love)

SoCal has amazing December sunsets with breathtaking hues of pink and coral and blue-gray.

About ten minutes later, the colors deepened to glowing oranges, bold fuchsias, and salmon.

Lots of people were out walking but I seemed to be the only one looking up and taking photos of the sky so I proudly confess to being an opacarophile.

Word of The Day: Komorebi

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Komorebi is a Japanese word that’s more of a feeling, that of “sunlight leaking through trees”. It describes the loveliness and wonder of rays of light dappling through overhead leaves, casting shadows on the forest floor.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

There is a profound peace and sense of tranquility with komorebi. It creates a mood of calming gentle energy, reminding us of our connection to the earth.

Komorebi is comprised of several parts of different words: “Ko” means tree or trees. “More” means: something that comes through, something that shines through or seeps through. “Bi” means: sun or sunlight.

I’m grateful for these transitory moments of beauty, as if time stands still in abeyance of SOMETHING, as we observe nature’s simple but profound tenuity and we can deeply, finally– fully breathe.

Word Of The Day: Sisu

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Friends and I are in a state of shock and mourning for the death of democracy as well as being really angry at the outcome of the election. We’re trying to process the enormity of this presidential election and how our lives are going to be forever negatively impacted by what’s to come, including Project 2025.

We also don’t know why a recount wasn’t immediately demanded, why Kamala Harris conceded so quickly, and why it seems as if that orange POS convicted felon will escape all accountability for his crimes. Jack Smith TRIED. Where is justice? Remember January 6? I’m still sad, still angry.

E. Jean Carroll and Mary Trump warned all of us:

My go-to solution of a little retail therapy at the dollar store didn’t help. This situation is deeply depressing.

I’m not sure I’m ready to hear this, but I discovered the Finnish word/concept of “sisu”, It means strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face o adversity.

We’re going to need all of that to continue to fight the good fight. Darkness is being exposed all over the universe.

Sisu is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain that courage. It’s a word that can’t really be fully translated.

From Wiki: Sisu is extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity, and courage that is presented typically in situations where success is unlikely. It expresses itself in taking action against the odds, and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity; to decide on a course of action and adhering to it even if repeated failures ensue.

The English “gutsy” invokes a similar metaphor (one also found in other languages): the Finnish usage derives from sisus, translated as “interior”, and as “entrails” or “guts” or “intestinal fortitude”. Another closely related English concept evokes the metaphor “grit”.

That’s what we need right now: GRIT. GUTS. DETERMINATION. COURAGE.

And don’t forget to breathe.

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Word Of The Day: Kahu

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This time of year is when I really miss all my babies that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

I never felt as if I “owned” them; I always felt as if I was their caretaker and protector and that we were a loving family, so I was profoundly touched when I learned there was a word to describe that concept.

Kahu is a Hawaiian word with a deep spiritual meaning, as it implies that the person and their pet are connected on a spiritual level. 

Kahu is a guardian; person who is entrusted with the safekeeping of something precious, a protector, steward, beloved attendant.

In Hawaiian culture, the relationship between a person and their pet is described as a kahu relationship. 

That sounds about right, the way to describe what is most precious. The word kahu, and what it means, is incredibly beautiful, so much more accurate than being referred to as our furbaby’s “owner”.

Word Of The Day: Hurkle-durkle

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Hurkle-durkle is one of my favorite words to say out loud, along with hygge.

To hurkle-durkle means “to lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about”.

It’s a legit 19th century Scottish word and nobody embodied it better than my darling Bandit…my undercover lover.

She was an expert hurkle-durkler. I have this exact photo framed, on the wall facing my bed, so I can absorb her beautiful essence every day. I’ll never stop missing that little girl.

I’m not a great hurkle-durkler; like my Angel Boys, as soon as I wake up, I jump out of bed to get the day started, but when Bandit was still alive, sleeping under the covers, it was really hard to leave her hot little purring body. She’d still be there when I came back to make the bed — my Bandit was a next-level sleeper, that’s for sure.

Phytophile: Word of The Day

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A phytophile is a person who loves plants, and for me, that includes dandelions! Phytophile comes from the Greek words phytòn (plant) and philìa (love or passion).

Last week I rescued a six-foot ficus and a sad little cordyline from the nursery clearance section. They were dried out and cruelly discarded. These once beautiful specimens simply needed a bit of my tender, loving care. They quickly perked up and are both now enjoying the good life here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells.

Margaret Tarrant

More about the adorable and functional dandelion…

Dandy Lion

Seijaku: Word of The Day

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Seijaku: stillness in the midst of activity, is an advanced and powerful form of T’ai Chi Chih.

“The Japanese speak of Seijaku as serenity in the midst of activity. Not escaping from the world to some mountaintop as is taught in the Indian teachings. But finding the real meaning, fulfillment, energy and wisdom in the midst of everyday hustle and bustle – building a silent and imperturbable center while active in the disappointments and triumphs of our busy lives. This is real fulfillment.” Justin Stone Speaks on T’ai Chi Chih®

Seijaku (stillness, tranquility, solitude): The principle of seijaku emphasizes the fundamental Zen theme of emptiness, which implies an inexhaustible spirit.

It is in states of active calm, tranquility, solitude, and quietude that we find the very essence of creative energy. Silent pauses in music, as well as motionlessness in dance and theater, illustrate the power of seijaku.

In meditation, we strive to achieve self-awareness and focus, to learn how to quiet our mind.

I think that’s why it’s called a practice, because it’s a daily exercise to try and attain and actualize that state of being.

Some days it works; often it does NOT, but it’s a life goal. My brain often goes off on a tributary, thinking of funny things like the Seinfeld episode where George Costanza’s dad screams “Serenity, NOW!” (I’m working on that; like I said, it’s a practice…)

Suspire: Word of The Day

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The word of the day is “suspire“(15th century): to let out a deep sigh.

The verb suspire is considered obsolete today—we might only encounter it in poetry.

In Robert Frost’s poem “Sitting by a Bush in Broad Sunlight,” he wrote: “And from that one intake of fire / All creatures still warmly suspire.”

Not only is it a literary way to say “breathe,” but it also rhymes nicely with “fire.” The Latin root is spirare, “to breathe.”

Sometimes I sigh and sometimes I forget to breathe until I remember that I need to take a deep breath.

Info curated from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/suspire

Hügelkultur: Word of The Day

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It’s time to prepare the garden for spring vegetables. Every year I attempt to win the battle with rodents and bugs and lack of sky water; sometimes I win, sometimes they do…

I have a couple new ideas. I purchased coconut coir bricks to rehydrate and mix with the existing soil in my raised bed and I thought I’d try cardboard box planters, too, inside the raised bed.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to build my own Hügelkultur.

“Hügelkultur” (pronounced hyoo-gul-kulture) is a German word that means mound culture or hill culture. A hügelkultur is a sloped and raised planting bed filled with topsoil, wood, and organic materials. Germans and Europeans have practiced it as a gardening method for hundreds of years.

Instead of gathering branches, leaves and grass clippings for yard waste trash pickup or to toss in the compost, build a hugel bed. Mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost, or whatever other biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies.

The advantages of a hugel bed are many, including:

The gradual decay of wood is a consistent source of long-term nutrients for the plants. A large bed might give out a constant supply of nutrients for decades. The composting wood also generates heat which might extend the growing season.

Logs and branches act like a sponge. Rainwater is stored and then released during drier times. Actually you may never need to water your hugel bed again after the first year (except during long term droughts).

We had a bit of rain yesterday which is a perfect opportunity to prep the coconut coir and plant seeds. I’ll start with my favorites: mixed greens, tomatoes, beets, chard and kale, cucumbers, snap peas, beans, peppers, and zucchini (of course).

There’s nothing more adorable than watching the first little sprouts emerge, right? I can’t wait!

Hügelkultur image credit to https://www.hugelkultur.com.au/intro-hugelkultur/
Photo credit to Enchanted Seashells

Novalunosis: Word of the Day

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“The universe and the light of the stars come through me.” — Rumi

Novalunosis (n.) – The state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

There’s some online discussion regarding whether or not novalunosis is a “real” word, but there’s no disagreement about the feeling of looking up in wonderment at the night sky.

Is Earth the only inhabited planet? With the vastness of the unexplored cosmos, is it even possible to think we are the only living, breathing, sentient creatures?

It’s an overwhelming feeling; novalunosis, but it can spark deep thoughts and conversations about infinity and the cosmos.

“The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us; there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.”
— Carl Sagan