Words Less Used?

Anne Leave a comment

Sometimes when you see or hear a word or expression you wonder, why don’t we use that one more often? Do we remember the meaning? Words like “thwarted”, which isn’t a wart with a lisp , but rather means to be prevented or blocked from doing something. It is nice to find words that describe exactly what is being experienced. Remember when we were learning the meaning of words as a child? It felt like a struggle to enlarge one’s vocabulary, wondering why we needed more words to mean a similar thing, like sad. Maybe nowadays we use the word depressed too much instead of alternates, like sad or could say melancholy and better describe our pensive reflection? Would we get another’s good attention if we said we felt melancholy?

How about being “hoodwinked,” as in tricked or deceived ? That feels kind of lighter sounding and allows one to laugh at oneself to say they were hoodwinked. “Downtrodden”describes a person who is beaten down by life and their circumstances, maybe even grey in appearance. In the dictionary it has a strong meaning of being abused or oppressed by people of power. Do we tend to now use the definition of words used in the past more than the words they originally defined? Hmmmmm

To be “cheeky” is more a British term, like to be fresh or outspoken. It is fun to incorporate new words to describe our feelings or a situation as it gets people’s attention if they haven’t heard it before. Gobsmacked was used by an American actress in a TV interview and the interviewer and most of the audience didn’t know the word. Perhaps they were gobsmacked. “Gobsmacked “: to be utterly astounded; flabbergasted.

Being “vexed” over something, to be perturbed or worried; or how about using “surly:” gruff, sullenly ill-humored ? That could fit many of our current life experiences or feelings. Maybe we can reintroduce some less used words and phrases into our day to day and gobsmack some friends?

A Light Post

Anne 2 Comments

It’s the Summer Solstice, the day of the year with the most daylight and the shortest night here in the Northern Hemisphere. This calls for a Light post 🙂 Enjoy!

Grow Belonging

Anne 4 Comments

Grow belonging. A rare word combination, yet its’ meaning seems clear. The idea that humans seek to belong, and the feeling of not belonging is referenced often in the ways we might feel separate or on the outside of something. Yet what if we each had the ability to “grow belonging”, to nurture and tend to those belonging seeds for ourselves? Then as time moved along our sense of belonging would grow, and it would be ours, inside of us.

In some cultures and communities people are asked “Who do you belong to?” meaning who are your people, ancestors or relatives. Many of us may not feel we belong to anyone or any group even if we can answer that question. Maybe someone’s belonging is situational, meaning as long as you have that job, or live in that neighborhood, or are married to that person, you belong to that group and have an “identity”.

But external connections can shift and change. In those cases, then who do we belong to, or where? Belonging to oneself seems a new possibility to consider. Especially having the ability to “grow” it.

Grow belonging. Maybe when we find ourselves in new circumstances, like a new community or experience, we can also find ways to share our authentic self as we grow belonging. No matter our age we may need to grow belonging in new and different ways as our life takes new turns or changes. Ideally we know how to grow those belonging seeds, as well as keep them healthy.

A World of Change

Anne 4 Comments

The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change is an interesting and relevant read. Longtime climate and human rights activist Rebecca Solnit shares with us her insights, years of research and hope in her 2026 book. A passage stood out and seemed worth sharing.

Solnit wrote ” I have seen history itself unfold, and this witness has been one of the things that brings purpose and exhilaration to my life as a writer and citizen of this earth. I have seen change. As Jonathan Schell once wrote of how revolutions unfold in the imagination first, Individual hearts and minds change; those who have changed become aware of one another; still others are emboldened, in a contagion of boldness; the ‘impossible’ becomes possible; immediately it is done, surprising the actors almost as much as their opponents, and suddenly, almost with the swiftness of thought–whose transformation has in fact set the whole process in motion—the old regime, a moment ago so impressive, vanishes like a mirage. Not always. But sometimes.” (pg 27)

Yes, we are in a world of change. No doubt we each are experiencing the change in different ways yet few of us can say that it isn’t happening. Guess we best hang onto our hats 🙂 and be part of the good change we say we want in this world.

May every day be International Women’s Day

Anne 1 Comment

March 8, 2026 is International Women’s Day. A version of this day was first reported February 28, 1909 in New York City. Many countries make it a big holiday and ensure it is a day to appreciate the contribution women have made and their continuing fight for equality and safety. It seems strange that half the human population has to fight throughout history for basic rights that the other half enjoys.

We found these quotes of interest and worth a ponder:

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“We all require and want respect. Man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right. ” ~ Aretha Franklin

“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” ~ Susan B. Anthony

“ It has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind.” ~ Queen Elizabeth II

One could argue that to thrive humankind needs an equitable present and future with women in all places where decisions are made.

Changing Systems

Anne 1 Comment

“We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis….And if solutions within the system are impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself?” ~ Greta Thunberg, activist.

The systems of rules, laws and regulations we live by are made by man, meaning when our human-made systems interfere with the quality of life and treatment we thought inherent, then yes systems can and should change. Change, especially within systems be it a family system, a community system or a traffic system, the will of the people needs to be present to create relevant change. A wise or truth-telling person can be amongst us but until enough of us listen and begin to act on it, that wisdom and truth changes little.

It is hard for many of us, or even those before us to have been able to predict or prepare for the world and emerging systems that are dominating our lives right now. How could we? It seems dark energy has been used to work around the “mainstream and official” systems in place, creating unbelievable far-reaching oppressive ones. Trusting and law abiding citizens have had their trust used against them. Most of us are still digesting the depth and breadth of this corrupt world-wide system we are learning more about. Did we turn a blind eye to questionable things happening in our families, neighborhoods or countries over the years?

We do seem in a crisis. There are bigger words to use but ultimately this appears to be a global crisis. Slowly the layers are getting peeled back. Once past the shock we start to understand how our global systems paved the way for this dark system to get entrenched. Maybe we are thinking this is not fiction or conspiracy theories anymore but a shadow system that has been fed and growing for eons?

What to do? We rise by lifting others, and as one saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats”. May we each be part of that rising tide in our own corner of the world and care about all the boats, not just our own. To use our voices and our personal power to be the lift and the light for one another, illuminating the change we seek in all of our systems.

The Power of Mutual Trust

Anne 1 Comment

Every kind of peaceful cooperation among (men) is primarily based on mutual trust and only secondarily on institutions such as courts of justice and police. –Albert Einstein

Quotes can be a wonderful way to slow us down and have us ponder. Thinking about it, when a group of people are working on something together, more can be accomplished and more quickly when they share a high level of trust. Trust takes time to develop as many of us know. Trust means we can rely on each other, that there is a shared understanding and respect, enhancing the cooperation and communication. Trust is foundational to genuine and solid relationships, at both the micro and macro levels.

Do we engage in the same way with those we do not trust? Trust partly grows over time and experience with a person or situation. Did we take trust for granted in our past? Is trust harder to gain these days? Growing up forty or more years ago did we live in a world where we mostly trusted people, from our parents, to friends, to any of the professionals or leaders we encountered? Or maybe trust wasn’t as common as some of us thought.

Does trust in our day-to-day life seem the same or different? Is it absent in some situations that we used to trust implicitly and now those same situations we question? One assumes we still share mutual trust with the people in our orbit we have trusted over the years. Do we?

Are we more careful now in terms of trust as we meet new people and do new things? In tumultuous times a lot depends on each one of us and how we choose to act and engage. If mutual trust is the basis for peaceful cooperation, it speaks to the powerful impact of trust, and that of being a trustworthy person.

Launching Ageilicious YouTube Channel

Anne 2 Comments

As a nod to a new year coming, it seemed a good time to complete a longtime goal of setting up a youtube channel as a way to direct people to Anne’s productions. With tech changing so fast, the dvd copies of her work will be harder for people to find a way to play them. And a channel makes it easier to share. Hey, maybe the dvds become a speciality collector set of coasters! (Now that’s a quirky thought.)

AGEILICIOUS now has her own Channel that includes Why Get Married? the 2005 documentary appearing in 8 short “chapter” links and the TV pilot Quirky View parts 1 and 2 . Quirky View and Why Get Married? include guests from both NM and Newfoundland so you may recognize yourself or someone you know. Anne’s TED X TALK on cooperative producing is also available. And you may discover a few other project links there.

Check out our menu for the channel link, share it, and/or visit the channel directly here. https://ageilicious.com/ageilicious-youtube-channel/

Creating this channel feels like an important way to honor and share one’s work produced over the years. As part of aging deliciously it seems to matter how we share ourselves and our accomplishments, both past and present with others. Not to boast or be selfish, but to share with good spirit so there is more opportunity for connection in the now.

Yes No

Anne 3 Comments

” When you say yes to others make sure you’re not saying no to yourself.” –– Paulo Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist.

Sometimes we are asked to do something, help, run for office, to show up in some way which may be the right thing to do. Yet we also need to ask ourselves is it the right thing for me to be doing right now? It might be the right thing to do, but it actually may be better for someone else to do it, not us. That is an interesting way to check in with ourselves. In our earlier years we may not know what is the right thing for us to do for ourselves. We are still learning and figuring out that kind of stuff. We can’t learn without the experience of how some things feel or the effect they may have on us without us saying yes.

Maybe we want to be generous and kind towards others, yet again, we need to make sure our “tank” is full first. Or at least half full before we start offering our “yes” to others. This really is a reminder to check in with ourselves as we move along in our life. Our energy changes. Our inclinations toward how we can best contribute or participate changes or shifts. And the gifts we can offer as we move along in the living years changes too. We (hopefully) are a tad wiser with age, wisdom coming with knowledge and experience, and that wisdom is part of knowing when we can say yes to others without saying no to ourselves.