Vocabulary Building—words rooted in experience

Vocabulary building is an important skill. Changes in circumstances can also teach us new words. It may be a different job or geographical setting, but the more impacting the learning experience, the more we retain and use the word.

I know the term addlepated but have not used it for years. However, preparing for my snowbird transition  from Minnesota to Mississippi, a series of unfortunate events brought that word to mind.

I needed to visit the post office for the change-of-address form to keep my mail current. No problem. However, rushing out the door, I set my ring of house and car keys down before also pushing the button on the outside door that locked it behind me. I was sure I still held my keys among the items I carried.

Except I didn’t.

That had also happened once earlier this summer when I thought my son had his stset of farm keys so I wouldn’t need mine when we traveled together. Wrong. I left mine inside and the door locked. He didn’t have his. We and his younger kids still enjoyed Lake Superior that weekend but also worried about how we would get back into the locked-up-tight farm house on our return. My son eventually recalled that years ago he had hidden a key under a rock in brush. He wasn’t sure it was still the current key for our door, but it might be. It was worth a try. We held our breath.

It worked. We shouted for joy. He showed me the hiding place with low groundcover around it–but that was months ago.

Now, after locking myself out, I needed that key. This summer, the surrounding brush had shot up four feet tall, complicating my search. In the meantime, stinging nettles  thrived and my arms and legs got well-acquainted beating those bushes. After quite a while, I found the right rock, retrieved my keys, and went to the post office, weary but grateful.

Sometimes, I drop a small bag of garbage in the nearest supermarket’s tidy container as I don’t generate enough trash to justify expensive year-round pick-up. Today I marched there, added my modest bag, and walked away, but then couldn’t find my billfold with cash and ID that had been hanging from the strap on my wrist. It wasn’t in the car—surely not in the garbage container?

I retraced my steps, lifted the tidy lid, and sure enough, there it was right on top. I snatched my billfold from the top before other garbage donators came and grateful no one seemed to see me.

“Addlepated,” I said out loud with feeling, thankful the store did not have a full-size dumpster, or I would have been dumpster diving. “Totally addlepated!” I had not heard the term for years but now used it on myself.

Addlepated, ad·dle·pat·ed, is defined by American Heritage Dictionary, 5^th edition, as “confused, stupid, or befuddled.” I’m afraid it fit.

Vocabulary building means acquiring new words that suit changing situations. The stronger the association, the longer we recall and use the word. I’m afraid I won’t forget saying addlepated for a long time.

I’m grateful to add that I have now been in the Mississippi part of my snow bird circuit for a full month but so far have not had to use addlepated again!

It’s important and fun to build vocabulary, but I like it best when these come through positive experiences. Please share any word you have acquired attached to a funny and hopefully positive story—and have a great week!