***
If you asked me today ‘What is it that gives you the most joy?’
My most honest answer will be ‘Words’.
Yes, just words and nothing else. Neither economics. Nor psychology. Nor research. Nor teaching. Nor playing. Nor anything else.
Just words.
I can be secluded from all worldly chores and soak myself in the company of words.
Words that are pithy, terse or lucid. Words that convey oceans of meaning. Words that help me place all my thoughts in perspective. Words that put an end to all the rambling and place an entire universe of thoughts in orbit.
It has been a serendipitous occurrence. The discovery of a friend next door who needs help with the vocab preparation for her entrance. I had just casually skimmed through one of her books when I felt ensnared by the pull of words that jogged my memory. Words that I had commonly associated with numerous people in my head suddenly woke up from their state of dormancy.
Our initial word exchange went on to a spontaneous word game – she would think of a person and describe a peculiar trait of that person at length and ask me if there was a word for such a person. I would try to think of a word that would most closely match the description. We would invariably go on to tangents after tangents discovering a whole new world about each other, the people we deal with every day, our perspectives on numerous different types of people.
Moments like these feel so light and timeless. As if someone has just pulled me out from a diagram with multiple constraints and frontiers towering over my head to an unbounded space.
***
If you asked me today ‘What is it that gives you the most joy?’
My most honest answer will be ‘Words’.
Yes, just words and nothing else. Neither economics. Nor psychology. Nor research. Nor teaching. Nor playing. Nor anything else.
Just words.
I can be secluded from all worldly chores and soak myself in the company of words.
Words that are pithy, terse or lucid. Words that convey oceans of meaning. Words that help me place all my thoughts in perspective. Words that put an end to all the rambling and place an entire universe of thoughts in orbit.
It has been a serendipitous occurrence. The discovery of a friend next door who needs help with the vocab preparation for her entrance. I had just casually skimmed through one of her books when I felt ensnared by the pull of words that jogged my memory. Words that I had commonly associated with numerous people in my head suddenly woke up from their state of dormancy.
Our initial word exchange went on to a spontaneous word game – she would think of a person and describe a peculiar trait of that person at length and ask me if there was a word for such a person. I would try to think of a word that would most closely match the description. We would invariably go on to tangents after tangents discovering a whole new world about each other, the people we deal with every day, our perspectives on numerous different types of people.
Moments like these feel so light and timeless. As if someone has just pulled me out from a diagram with multiple constraints and frontiers towering over my head to an unbounded space.
***
