Words

Today, I decided to make a list of some of my favorite words, the ones that have a certain ring to them, and strike a chord with me. I will update this list from time to time.

• Epiphany: A sudden moment of intuitive perception or insight.

Example:  It was during his visit to Europe, enchanted by the numerous palaces, museums, and churches, that Mark had an epiphany and decided to quit his job and start a career as a photo journalist.

• Satori:  In the Zen Buddhist philosophy, satori is a state of sudden enlightenment and intense awareness; it means seeing the true nature of all things; it is considered a glimpse along the path to nirvana.

Example: In the hushed silence of center court at Wimbledon, as he bounced the ball on the plush green tennis courts, and prepared to serve, Novak Djokovic entered the state of satori. His mind was engulfed with a calm stillness, like the surface of a lake, with all his thoughts coming to a rest. He became intensely aware of his own breathing and his hand bouncing the ball. In that instant, there was nothing but him and the ball.

• Elixir:  Something that can cure everything, a sovereign remedy; or an alchemic preparation capable of prolonging life or of transmuting base metals to gold.

Example: After four hours of playing soccer in the hot summer sun, Alfred felt his body burning up from inside and his legs ready to collapse. His eyes homed in on a bottle of cold water lying on the side of the practice ground. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. He picked up the bottle and took one long, tantalizing, refreshing gulp. He exhaled deeply and looked at the bottle of water as though it was the elixir of life.

• Bliss: Supreme happiness, the joy of heaven

Example: As he held her hand, and gently slid the ring on to her finger, Raj experienced a moment of sheer bliss. After so many varied journeys, he had finally found the one person who made him feel truly alive, and he was going to be with her for the rest of his life. His skin tingled from head to toe. He felt like he was airborne, floating towards the sky, and nothing could bring him down.

• Saudade: A deep emotional state of nostalgia or longing for someone or something that is absent. It is a mixed feeling, having both recollection and mentally reliving happy memories, but also carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return.

Example: He looked outside the window at the empty street, where not a sound was to be heard. It was Diwali day. His mind transported him back to Mumbai, his hometown. During Diwali time in Mumbai, everywhere in the city there are lights. Diyas, lanterns and lights of all shapes and sized and colors. These dazzling lights illuminate every street, every building and every home in the city. Fireworks explode in the night sky. Everywhere there were children laughing and playing. People are on holiday, shopping for things, gifting mithai boxes to each other. The air of festivity envelops the whole city and every one within it. An overwhelming feeling of Saudade swept through him. When would he ever see Diwali in Mumbai again?