Dusting off Webster's

It is very rare for me to read a book where I don't know what alot of words mean, or even for me to come across words I have never seen before in a novel. Such is the refreshing, rare exception to the classic literature novel I am currently reading, "Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann.

I love how books somehow stumble into my life unexpectedly at times. I wasn't familiar with this author at all until my mom, an English comp/literature/humanities,et al professor, told me she was reading "Death in Venice." Following suit, I picked it up to read as well, intrigued by its description. Initially, I was a bit intimidated to read it, mainly because the sentences were long-winded and the style was different with its vocabulary. But then I came to appreciate its uniqueness and the slightly creepy aire to it.

After finishing DIV, I figured I'd take a stab at MM. Funny enough, I find this book more challenging. It is 700 small print pages!! It is descriptive to the nnth degree that tests my patience and concentration level at times, but honestly, it is refreshing to read something that challenges me intellectually. I had to pull the Webster's Dictionary off my bookshelf. Blowing the dust off of it, I cracked it open to investigate some unrecognizable words. It is interesting how one's perspective changes as you get older. I remember when I was younger, I used to be so annoyed when someone (my dad usually) would tell me to "look it up" when I didn't know what a word meant. Now, I welcome such an opportunity to learn! I have already learned 3 new words this past week:

Word #1: dolt/doltish: a stupid person. Hehehe.

Word #2: abrogation: to abolish, repeal, annul.

Word #3: diaphanous: letting much light through.

While I probably won't be using these words in my everyday language anytime soon (except doltish, because it sounds fun to say!), my literary thirst is being quenched. This morning I was thinking about how much I need intellectual stimulation, exercise for my mind. When I was in graduate school, I was mentally "fit" with all the papers, tests, discussion to engage me. But now that I am working, it is hard to find someone/thing that challenges me on that level, especially since most of my clients are not educated or intellectual. It challenged me to also think, "Would you rather be compassionate, helping other people and not be challenged intellectually or use analytical intelligence every day, but not be making a difference in other's lives?" This is a tough call for me, because I truly believe I need to exercise both qualities to express my true nature/personality,etc. Maybe in an ideal world, I could do both. In reality though, I very rarely do both...at work anyway. Yet, I'm still a dreamer of sorts.

This is why I passionately love books, both fiction and nonfiction. I can utilize my intellect and in a way, "feel" for the characters in fiction novels. I remember hearing that with books, you can "travel" miles away without moving an inch. Very true!!