A little morsel of...blandishment

Do you want to know what I find soothing these days? Words, perfectly appropriate words! How bland it is to say "I'm fine" or "she seems sad." Are we ever just fine or sad? Very rarely. That's why I find learning a word so enjoyable. There it lies in my head in all it's nuanced glory, waiting to be used. And then the perfect situation arises to draw out the few letters, to savor their specificity.

This is why I am inaugurating Word of the Week! One little word each week to be used, cherished, and practiced. Save them up yourself, and watch for them in future posts!

Today's word is: Blandishment (noun)

• flattery intended to persuade
• the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery

Send me the best sentences you can using this word!

Let's Go...Skating!

Last Christmas I was given a wonderfully retro gift: figure skates! White and pristine, they are so Sonja Henie-like as to make a double salchow entirely possible. And if not that, at least their glowing blades, shining from the back of the closet, are a guilty reminder to go out and enjoy winter sports.
With the holiday season approaching, why not consider giving gifts that will last and bring continual joy (and a touch of ankle pain) to the recipient? Yes, it's easy to pick up another Starbucks basket. But does it bring flushed cheeks, warm hands holding yours, and a cup of well earned cocoa at the end? No, no, says Sonja.

Rain, Come Again

“The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.”

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If you're caught outside in it, your umbrella flapping wildly, your pant legs soggy, you likely won't love rain so much as I did today. The wind beat a steady wallop of the wet stuff against the windows, thrashing the branches of the barren trees, and making me thankful for my warm cup of tea and dry feet.

This is the time to draw in, to find the softest corner of your favourite chair, and hug your Darjeeling while the world clashes around outside. It is the best of excuses to close the door on the world, even for a little while.

A Happy Return

Surely you've experienced this: you return to a childhood haunt, read a favourite book from grade four, watch a classic movie, and none measure up to how you remember them. That primeval tree in the park, rising so high above you - how did it come to shrink with the years? Or that movie with all the witty one-liners? Seems pretty silly now. How reassuring then when a return is better than the original journey!

Such was the case when I re-read Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. With fond memories of being read it after lunch by my grade six teacher, I was anxious to see how it held up. Fortunately, it has lots to offer the adult reader. Yes, there is a grand adventure through The Lands Beyond, but there is also clever wordplay that enlivens Juster's themes of education and knowledge.

So, if you're tired of serious and bleak adult literature, perhaps its time for a return to a place that is just as wonderful as you remembered it.