Obliga-what?

A brand new word just floated into my brain from the ethers this week. I always believe (for about 10 seconds) that I made it up, but then, thanks to the power of Google, I’m always amazed that somebody else has thought of it, too. And first.

It’s similar to having one of those vocabulary building calendars that teach you a new word each day, but without any print or paper. More like subscribing to a “Celestial Download” word-of-the-week club. And it’s free!

So, for the teensy span of time, between the fresh word floating down from the sky like a feather and me looking it up online, I feel this excitement of having just invented something new. “Groom,” I say enthusiastically, “I just made up another word!”

“What is it, dear?” he asks faithfully, knowing in a few minutes I’ll lament the fact that my new shiny word is already listed in the Internet dictionary.

In my imagination, before presenting it to him like a gift, a drum roll precedes the fanfare, although I am the only one who can hear it.

“Obligatorium,” I say with a flourish. Sometimes I curtsey.

“That’s a curious one,” he says. “What does it mean, is it a place?”

Oh yeah. Hmmm...good question. I search around in my mind, and it feels like a humorous word, a real yet not real place, kinda like a guilt-trip. It’s an emporium to shop for people on your Christmas list that you really don’t want to buy for, but would cause hurt feelings if you didn’t. “I think I’ll pop down to the Obligatorium and pick up that present for Uncle Pervie and Aunt Gossip.”

It’s the warehouse for all the stuff we have to do, but don’t wanna, the ties that bind, the long hours we put in, anything that has to do with obligations. When I looked it up online, three words defined it: obligation; a bond.

I don’t really have an ending to this entry, but if feels odd to just stop so I’ll mention the photographs. They were taken at the Eugene Holiday Market last Sunday, December 5, 2010. If any of you have curious words to share, we’d love to learn about them. However, we’ve had many people email us or tell us in person that they’ve tried to leave a comment, but some curious technical hitch is in the giddyup and hasn’t allowed it, so don’t get discouraged. Thanks!