30 things that need their own vocabulary word.
English. What a joke.
There are too many specific things that need their own words that don’t have one. Get it together Webster. Make some words for these:
The feeling of reading the subject line of an email that holds important information you’ve been waiting for—the quick breaths you take in tandem with the immediate tap of the notification followed by the painful pause while your phone opens it.
The lightning bolt of an accurate song lyric that somehow wraps words around thoughts you didn’t know how to articulate on your own.
The relief of figuring out exactly what you need and having the means to meet it.
The satisfaction of a freshly vacuumed rug.
Meeting the back binding of a book you’ve been reading for a long time, closing it shut, book complete, story over, putting it in the “read” category of your shelf.
Doing something you love beside a window where you can see the rain falling.
The shock of drinking orange juice when you thought your mug was filled with coffee.
Walking into a public place and feeling like you recognize every face from somewhere.
Rolling over and pushing your face back into the pillow after you hit snooze.
The internal suspicion that the thing you really don’t want to do is exactly what you need to do and you know you’ll be glad you did it.
Opening the windows in the morning for cool air to find its way in.
The surprise and delight of seeing a new chute emerging from the soil.
The spontaneous luck of stumbling across something you didn’t realize you wanted until you saw it.
The cute lies you tell yourself at the beginning of the month when determining your budget categories.
Thrifting an item that seems like it was made for you.
The way you don’t recognize the moment when the shoes you’ve been breaking in are finally broken in.
Passing a home on the sidewalk and smelling the warm wafts of laundry on its last 10 minutes in the dryer.
The accidental discovery of shared nostalgia with someone your age.
The strength of a past joke that can still make you laugh as hard as the first time you heard it.
A harmony that hits you deeper than the melody.
Meeting a fellow adult you know you would’ve been good friends had you met as kids.
Taking a risk on a menu item and it paying off.
When a quick check-in with a friend turns into a three and half hour deep dive.
The bracing of yourself for a sneeze that’s brewing in your face.
The deflation when the sneeze doesn’t come.
The agony of going to the second page of a Google search because you still can’t find what you’re looking for.
The skill of gently catching someone off guard with unexpected humor.
The ability to tell someone their fly is down without embarrassing them.
Receiving a candid photo of yourself and actually liking the authenticity you see.
The joy of jumping onto the bottom bar of a shopping cart and gliding down an aisle.