My Word! Definitely Not My Wordle

First allow me to address our dear readers, who are avid devotees of the Atlanta Jewish Times and of yours truly’s Shaindle’s Shpiel. I ask you to reflect back for a moment.

Consider all of the wisdom you received from the words (some new some not-so-new) expressing, clarifying, expanding and introducing new concepts, support and laughter. All gleaned from the AJT and stored in your ever-expanding word bank. After all, where would we be without words?

For your consideration, I gift you with the following:

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When my kids were young, how would they know when I’d had enough? That was made clear by words like STOP IT! Or one of my personal favorites: DO YOU WANT ME TO PULL OVER AND STOP THE CAR?!

Another doozy of a favorite is: MY NAME IS NOT MOMMY and it is not SHAINDLE, I changed my name and I am not telling you what it is, you will have to guess. While you are thinking, do not follow me. (I sneak off to my secret hideaway — the bathroom)! I will be back for your guesses.

How about a few of my mother’s words, which were her answer to everything from headaches to feeling sad: “take two aspirin, make a pishy and gay shloffen (go to sleep).”

Let us consider the ever-changing meanings of words. Until recently, for example, the word “sick” meant not feeling well. Don’t be fooled into reacting to this word without first checking which sick is the sick in this particular sick description. Is it the sick which could cause a fever (think: my mom’s word for solving anything) or the sick which tells you something is so cool (oops, there I go dating myself) or great or wonderful?

Need more?

In my day — oh my goodness, did I just really say that? — the word woke would indicate you awoke from a deep sleep, or perhaps an afternoon nap. In today’s lingo it means no such thing! If you are referred to as “woke” you would be a maven on the new trends and fads. I can’t imagine what word would be acceptable for us who are woke to use upon your awakening from your sleep or nap.

Here’s another word for your reading pleasure, certainly not a wordle.

Hard: Hard candy, hardboiled egg, hard math test. Well folks, there is a new sheriff in town and his only job is to catch and humiliate those too old to know that today the word “hard” refers to something cool, like “that shirt is hard,” thus indicating that the shirt is cool and stylish.

I ask that you please give some serious thought to the word “cloud.” Not too long ago, a cloud held rain. Now it safely holds information you send it. As in, “Save it to the cloud.”

And for goodness sakes, where in the world did the ridiculous word game Wordle come from? Just a few years ago it would indicate your inability to correctly spell the word “word.”

The two or three weeks I had to transition from my beloved summer camp to the ten long months of school referred to the length of time I had to acclimate to the reality of this change. Today, transitioning challenges us to achieve a deeper love, compassion, education and understanding.

Put your thinking caps on — actually, don’t bother, it won’t help you discover new uses for old words. I suggest you follow my lead. (As far as I know, all the words in the previous sentence are up-to-date and “woke.”)

One of my fabulous and woke grandsons keeps me apprised of what’s what! On this day, I send a loving shoutout (not by cloud, but by actual spoken words of the English language) to Elijah, a man who is woke.

Am I foolish in thinking you all know what BRB, LOL, BFF are shorthand ways to express? Oh no! Did you really think I would give this little ditty away for free?
OIDTS!