Today I'll be making one of my frequent visits to my ninety-year-old mother, who lives about an hour away. As I drive along I often find myself thinking of things to write, stories to tell, and sometimes I just find interesting words arising in my thoughts. (And I do talk to myself out loud as I drive, just so you know.)
A month or so ago on one of my drives the word "exuberant" came to mind, and of course I began to wonder about its origins, roots, and so on. So when I got home, I looked it up and learned some cool stuff that only makes it all the more rich a word.
First of all, the root word at its core is uber, which means "fertile" in Latin. So exuberance comes from fertility, one's own and that of the universe, I imagine. Tap into your creative powers of all sorts and you're likely to feel exuberant and to live more exuberantly.
As to definitions, here are a few (and I think they're all wonderfully rich and inspiring):
1. Full of unrestrained high spirits; abandonedly joyous. (The spell check doesn't like that word, abandonedly, but I do!)
2. Lavish; effusive; overflowing
3. Growing or producing abundantly; luxuriant
What's not to love about exuberant?! It just may be my current favorite word. I intend to let it call to me on a regular basis: "Over here! Over here! Come this way!"
Image: "Clouds over Mackworth Island", 2008, 8" x 12"
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2 comments:
One of my favorite words is "delicious" :) I love the sound of it and the feel in my mouth when I say it ... my mouth almost waters around the syllables :)
And, it works in so many ways!
'she looked positively delicious in that dress... "
One of my favorites is "lovely." Combines beauty & love--exuberantly perfect!
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