It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses we must plant more trees. ~ George Eliot

My love of reading finds me easily seduced to retire early on the cold and gray short days of winter; a magical season designed especially for bibliophiles. I’m beckoned to snuggle close to the hearth, encase myself in all things made of wool and fleece, and read very long into the night.

Delightful as this is, my soul grows anxious to ditch the heavy confines of layers and step out into the earthy romance of spring.

As if possessed, I dash to open all windows in an effort to chase out the staleness and offer up a lusty invitation to usher in an invigorating burst of fresh air.

This time of year also finds me eagerly pursuing the publication of numerous lists of words which should be liberated; words that have become cumbersome, bland, and needful of being shed, like a pair of winter long johns. (Yes—I’m forever inconsolable over the inclusion of “EVOO” (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) into Webster’s Dictionary.)

As defined by Lake Superior College in their annual list of “Banished Words”, a proper weeding is necessary due to “misuse, overuse, and general uselessness.”

I profoundly grieve that yogic and spiritual prose remain peppered by a glut of withered rhetoric.

All I am advocating is to give more words a chance!

Trite does little to cultivate a sense of zest, passion, mystery and inquiry.

So with jocularity and in good sport, I offer the following two words which need to be put out to pasture due to excessive and soppy usage. Seeing them liberally tossed about in print causes my literary Lulu’s to become painfully twisted.

1. Juicy

Having been through enough wringers, this word has curdled and is needful of immediate adjudication. It causes me to squirm.

Fruit is juicy, as is gossip and a nostalgic brand of chewing gum. Asana designed to open the hips, however, is not. Attaining said moments may be downright agonizing and, more appropriately, require a follow-up of hot water infused with mineral salts or a proper martini with olives on the side.

Nothing citrusy there.

Realizing an “aha” experience in contrast to the mundane simply isn’t “juicy”: it’s profoundly remarkable, marvelous, consummate, enchanting, luscious or even prodigious.

Perhaps it’s more savory, like a spicy, tangy, deliciously warm morsel of a feeling deeply connected and more aware of how truly precious this one very moment; this one grateful breath is.

So more like a holiday ambrosia; it should be relished.

2. Suckiness

This word is poverty stricken, droll, and should be banned outright.

It leaves a sour aftertaste. I’m left desperately hankering for something more akin to maligned, desolate, miserable, hopelessly resigned or its numerous debased cousins.

What ever happened to wretched, forlorn, or the simplicity of lousy?  Even crapola would suffice.

Call me fusty, but I’d rather chew chalk.

Painful life situations are not a time to be miserly. It’s the very stuff you’re made of. So dig deeper, aerate and fertilize those roots with the freshest, most poignant manure you can muster.

Given the wondrous chance to cut away at the dead stuff, don’t choose to be ineffectual. Abandon what’s popular and bolster yourself in venturing far beyond the current tide.

Make your own ripples and awaken.

Aim for words which inspire

Thoughts both infinite and glorious;

But if stuck in a rut,

Don’t retreat to a glut,

Reach then for thy precious Thesaurus.

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          Apprentice Editor: Brenna Fischer / Editor: Renée Picard

          Photo: Nina J.G./Flickr Creative Commons