I am highly sensitive to the sounds of words and, after reading this post, I dare say, you might be too.
I invite you to take a moment and consider this word: moist. If anything, moist is a versatile word, connoting many things to many people, but moist also rhymes with foist, and I say this because a good chunk of the human population cringes when they hear the word moist.
But then, a larger chunk do not cringe when they hear it spoken, which I suppose speaks to the mental health of those who are not so easily given to mood swings that spawn ripples of fear, doubt, worry, envy, anger, jealousy, guilt, shame, and anxiety, which is not to say that those who are easily given to mood swings are bad people ~ in this day and age, they are likely to be creative (as well as sensitive).
Alongside the word moist, as in “a moist cake” or “a moist vagina” (can I still say that?) or “her eyes grew moist with longing”, all of which carry positive associations for me, the not-so-common words gratitude and appreciation also do not arouse any resistance in me. As far as I am concerned, these are gr8 words.
I do, however, take issue with the word grate-ful and, to a lesser extent, thankful.
How Best to Describe Gratitude and Appreciation?
Thank you for reading this far. I appreciate it. I am appreciative of the fact that you are still with me.
Wait. Appreciative? Who talks like that in the flow of everyday discourse? Not only does appreciative contain a mouthful of slippery syllables, it also sounds pretentious beyond belief.
Appreciative? Appreciative? No thanks.
Okay, how about thankful? I am thankful for the fact that you are still with me.
Actually, for this, all I really want to do is toss you a quick “thank you”; do I really need to be full of thanks? If all that is necessary in a conversation is a quick hearty thanks, then thankful seems like too much. Even in the depths of sacred presence, thankful sounds too much like tankful, if you get my meaning ~ better to dwell in silence, in the depthless depths of gratitude or appreciation.
I am thanky for the fact that you are still with me? No, sorry, this just doesn’t work for me (of course, now that I’ve made my feeling clear on this, you can be sure that someone somewhere will begin pressing this girly word into service, and with a lustiness worthy of girly girls; yes, you can be sure of it).
How about this: I am grate-ful for the fact that you are still with me. Okay, you must know by now that I have serious reservations around the use of the word “grate-ful”, and more particularly around the use of the word “grate” inside the word grate-ful. Not only does its usage “grate on my nerves”, it also carries not-so-positive connotations associated with sewer grates. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that its usage disturbs me, or even that it annoys me or irritates me, only that it grates on my nerves like an onion sliding down a food grater dulled by overuse. The mother of gratitude deserves better.
I Need Your Help: I Need a Word (or Two) I Can Use
I’ve ruled out the use of these words in everyday conversation ~ appreciative, thankful, thanky, and grate-ful ~ to describe a heartfelt gratitude or appreciation, and at this point, I figure I have two options by way of response: (1) fuhgeddaboudit; or (2) find a gr8 word I can use.
That’s gr8, by the way, not grate.
The first option ~ fuhgeddaboudit ~ is a tough sell for me. I could fuhgeddaboudit it by just falling back on saying that I appreciate this … and I appreciate that … and I appreciate you for saying this and I appreciate you for doing that, but this leaves more than a little to be desired.
The reservation I have with exercising this throwaway option is that a subtle, vital distinction can be gleaned from gratitude and appreciation. For example, where gratitude lends value to some person, place, or thing, appreciation adds value to some person, place, or thing.
By way of gratitude, “I recognize you” means “I care enough to lend value to you wherever I go and with whomever I meet and greet”, whereas a soulful, heartfelt “I appreciate you” means “I care enough to add value to you wherever I go and with whomever I meet and greet.”
Whether you happen to be with me or not.
If fuhgeddaboudit doesn’t make the cut, how about finding a word I can use? This is where you come into the picture. Could you help me out with a word (or two) I can use by completing the following exercises?
I am appreciative, I am thankful, I am thanky, I am grate-ful, I am ____________ (fill in the blank)
In lieu of appreciatively, thankfully, thankily, or grate-fully, I recommend _______ (fill in the blank)
Thank you in advance. I am truly gr8ful.
I just know that somewhere, somehow, two new and usable words will emerge and appear in the mass consciousness of those who are living on earth with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation at this time.
I remain … gr8fully yours.
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To share information and inspiration on what is happening on this troubled yet promising world, I drew up two lists of sites that are serving the causes of personal, global and/or cosmic awakening.
This post has been filed under Commentary in the Ultimate Outline.
Note: my evolving outline on approaching a realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment can be found here, accessible from the nav menu under the page “Be Here Now”.
Note: this ever growing perspective began here: Ultimate Perspective