A Few Choice Words

I think about words all day.  I often fall asleep piecing together sentences.

There are many words I absolutely despise, either for their spoken sound (moist and portion) or for their connotation (hate, cunt, faggot) or because I have trouble spelling them on my first attempt (julep, utensil, knowledgeable) and one out of absolute fear:  sluggish. 

When my beloved college mentor died, his life partner explained that he'd been feeling uncharacteristically fatigued for weeks.  As Dave's energy waned, he enjoyed soaking in the tub at night, and he complained of feeling "sluggish."  While conducting a bicycle safety course for campus police, he had a massive heart attack and died.

About most things, I am not superstitious.  But I feel certain that suggesting I feel sluggish would cause me to keel over.  And if I admitted my husband was feeling sluggish, I'd find him sprawled on the kitchen floor unresponsive the next morning.

I will say that he and I are fatigued.  I can't remember the last time either of us had eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.  We're moving more slowly than we used to, and going to bed earlier.  We won't be watching a ball drop or toasting the new year at midnight.  We're going to bed on account of being snoozy.

And that is one of my favorite words:  snoozy.  I say it with a little sigh.  It evokes images of down pillows and a heavy comforter, curling up with a book for three minutes before my eyes start drooping.

Happy Snoozy Year.