I like words. I know that must sound odd. Who doesn’t like words? I mean, who hates words? Not many, I am sure. I like collecting random words in my Evernote app. I will look at it every so often and wonder what led to me “collecting” and jotting down a particular word, at a particular moment in time. Last year my word was joy. This year, I have a phrase- poetically bold. That phrase reminds me of Mohammed Ali floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee.

The last few weeks I have wanted to use the word discombobulated to describe the state of affairs all around me. However, that word is not quite right. Yet, the singer Billie Eilish perfectly exhibited through her facial expressions at the Oscars the word I needed. And, that word was befuddlement.

Befuddlement is a gloriously unglorious word. It is a great word to describe a situation in which one would not want to have experienced. There are times, however, where you get to the end of the week and you wonder what that week had been about. You wonder how you survived and you wonder how quickly you can run from that week.

When you get through a befuddlement storm and the fog is lifted, you feel wiped and uneasy. You feel a hangover, of sorts. You need a new week to hydrate your mental acuity and heart. Yet, I still like the word. It sounds comical and once you put enough distance between yourself that awful week, you may indeed be able to laugh. And, that is why I like this word. So far, it’s my word for the month. Let’s see what else may come.