Stephen Colbert is a favorite night time news source. I enjoy his monologue for his many talents: sense of humor, wit, well timed delivery, boundless energy, obvious intelligence, impersonations and willingness to pursue the truth. I do appreciate that he is not bashful on expressing his clever view of our Fearless leader and the news of the day. In one of his opening monologues this week he used the word rapscallion. The origin of the word traces to the 1600s as an expansion of the Old English “rascal”. Originally the French word rascaille was adopted in English in the early 1300s. Although rapscallion can refer to a person who is mischievous, today we think of this word in connection with a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel, scallywag, villain, or rogue. Apparently people who fit this profile have been called out since the 1600s. It appears some things do not change.
Thanks heavens for Alexa, she is there for us at all times. As an aside, Karen my friend and spouse talks to her as well and occasionally we talk to each other. This very morning Alexa greeted us with a welcome to November and a reminder that this is National Gratitude month. In these sometimes disheartening days it was the right way to start the month. Alexa informs me she is thankful for “the kindness of strangers” – every time she hears a story about people helping someone they don’t even know it makes her happy. I am thankful for so many things and it was good to dwell on those things before I re-engaged in concerns about protecting our democracy.
I found a list of the ten most beautiful English words. I will share a few that were calming for me. Aurora, the dawn in the early morning. Serendipity, the chance occurrence of events in a beneficial way. Petrichor, the pleasant smell after rain. Idyllic, extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque. Pluviophile, a lover of rain, someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days. I conclude with sequoia, a seven letter word that has the letter Q and all 5 vowels. The giant redwood, like our nation stands the test of time.
Buddha gets the last word, “when you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. “
Keep calm and carry on. Enjoy the day. Mike