Meanderings & Wonderments

I've always wanted to invent a word. I know, most people are more interested in inventing something really important, like a cure for cancer, or an easier way to do something, like velcro. But no, I really want to invent a word. Not just any word, but a word that is super cool and people want to integrate immediately into the modern lexicon. I make up words all the time but so far nothing has stuck. Most of the words I come up with are often the combination of two words. It's like I can't figure out which word I want to say and my brain gets confused and they both come out at once in a peculiar auditory meshing. Of course my friends totally mock me for this, but I'm happy to say that at least in our little circle some of my words have been adopted (i.e. insuperior).

This summer when I was living in Spain, my confusion/invention was at it's worst/best. I was speaking Spanish all day but then would get on my laptop at night and try to write in English. The result was (1) I could only recall a small percent of my English vocabulary, and (2) my spelling became horrendous. But I did invent a word that I find myself using all the time: meandering. I know: it doesn't look like a new word, but it sounds like a new word if you combine "meander" and "wander." The phonetic pronunciation is me-on-der-ing. In truth, it was a mistake. I couldn't figure out which word to say and then pulled "a Holley" and out they both came. But I really like the sentiment behind it: to take an indirect course without a definitive purpose. I kind of wish there was more of that in life. 

Whenever I do a bit of meandering, I'm always humbled by the wondrous things I see. It makes me want to participate in more wonderment — to discover it, appreciate it, and be a part of it. Look around: there is wonderment everywhere, both natural and man-made. And what I find wondrous may be different than what you do, but that's the point really. 

I thought I might start sharing some of the wonderments I've encountered in my everyday life in a (perhaps a bi-monthly?) post. Interesting? Not interesting? Please weigh in with your comments below. The goal is merely to remind us to look for the wonderments. I know they're all around us if we just take the time to meander a bit more. 

So here are some wonderments I saw on Saturday: 

Marigolds ablaze

Chidori kale, which I've never seen before

Breakfast treasures discovered inside a delightful pink pastry box

Sunny satsuma

Fall tree in Santa Barbara

I hope your week ahead is filled with many wondrous moments, wherever you may find them.