Xenodochial
Today I am grateful for my five senses and that they all work. I am also grateful for motivation to be healthy.
I considered just passing by the letter "x" on my way to wrapping up my A-Z list of words about feelings, but that really isn't fair. And I always end up intrigued to learn something new, even if it is a word I may have never used before or will rarely use again.
So when I came across xenodochial, I thought to myself here's a word we need right now. Xenodochial means to be friendly to strangers. This is not flying in the face of the "don't talk to strangers" that we emphasize to our young children for their safety.
This is about the other humans walking this human path on this earth that we come into contact with each day. Some may have familiar faces. Some we have never seen before. But they are all people worthy of simple kindness and respect. A smile and hello go a long way.
We have become more fearful and isolated in ways, even as we have become a true global community. Today is the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. There are indeed people who should not be trusted. Yet, in our day to day lives, most people we encounter are doing what we are trying to do--live a good life and be a contributor.
Isolating, keeping our faces turned to some screen or another, just compounds the fear and disconnection.
I feel xenodochial today. If you see me, I will be the one smiling and saying hello. I will be the one acknowledging your existence and your space in the world. It's a start anyway.
I considered just passing by the letter "x" on my way to wrapping up my A-Z list of words about feelings, but that really isn't fair. And I always end up intrigued to learn something new, even if it is a word I may have never used before or will rarely use again.
So when I came across xenodochial, I thought to myself here's a word we need right now. Xenodochial means to be friendly to strangers. This is not flying in the face of the "don't talk to strangers" that we emphasize to our young children for their safety.
This is about the other humans walking this human path on this earth that we come into contact with each day. Some may have familiar faces. Some we have never seen before. But they are all people worthy of simple kindness and respect. A smile and hello go a long way.
We have become more fearful and isolated in ways, even as we have become a true global community. Today is the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. There are indeed people who should not be trusted. Yet, in our day to day lives, most people we encounter are doing what we are trying to do--live a good life and be a contributor.
Isolating, keeping our faces turned to some screen or another, just compounds the fear and disconnection.
I feel xenodochial today. If you see me, I will be the one smiling and saying hello. I will be the one acknowledging your existence and your space in the world. It's a start anyway.
Great word -thanks! Let me try to work that in....
ReplyDeleteIt is a fun word, and it is even more fun to say--listen to it online.
DeleteI did think of it a few times today and got the chance to be xenodochial at the post office. I don't know if others noticed, but I did. :-)