{...a breezy life} at briemarisa.com

One of my favorite books is Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It's a quirky, fun read about Rosenthals life and views, categorized into alphabetical order like, of course, an encyclopedia. I've passed it on to a few people who have all enjoyed it- sometimes, reading about someone alot like you, even if it's "not extraordinary", is just fun! One of the more geeky, very "me" high points in my life was getting an e-mail from Amy Rosenthal to a response I had contributed to the "Encyclopedia" website (because really, that's kind of cool!)!

One of her entries, under F, is the word Flahoolick. She uses this quote:

Flahoolick is an Irish word meaning openhanded, generous, expansive and oh much else....Anything can be flahoolick under certain conditions. Even water, supposing you were crawling on your hands and knees across the desert and in the broiling sun and came upon a waterfall though what it would be doing there we are not prepared to say. Lemon squash can be flahoolick if you are nine years old or inordinately fond of lemon squash. Draught beer is flahoolick; large linen napkins are flahoolick; long nightshirts are virtually always flahoolick. --Howard Gossage, advertising writer, 1917--1969

...and then goes on to explain "In the course of our daily generic routine, we seem programmed to seek out that which is flahoolick, to arm ourselves with flahoolick antibodies. Stopping for a cup of coffee on our way to work is an instant jolt of flahoolickness--and it goes beyond the caffeine: the tingle begins in the ordering of the coffee, the anticipation of the treat, the receiving, the way you feel walking out with the hot cardboard (crutch) in your hand. (Rosenthal)"

Here are the things I think are flahoolick:

*The secret language my sister Marla and I speak
*Laughing with my sisters
*the way the afternoon light makes the air glow
*when all the notes are pretty when I sing
*when I have been in Pete's arms and later, when we're apart, I can smell his scent on my skin
*hearing Anna sing Broadway songs she heard in my car
*getting real mail
*my obnoxious laugh
*watching Pete when he's talking with someone and really enjoying himself, he gets into a groove and looks so earnest!
*spending (lots of) money at Barnes and Noble, and reading the spoils of my spree!
*the general din created when all of my nieces and nephews are together
*opening gifts SLOOOOOOOOOWLY
*a PBG sandwich (Pete, Breezy and Gordie!)
*a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks
*Applebees nights with my girls
*sleeping late
*People and US Weekly magazines
*long showers
*using swear words
*Target
*my crazy, funny, weird, lovable family and friends


...and I am so thankful for ALL of it!

So, now, tell me. What do YOU think is flahoolick?