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Showing posts from April, 2026

N: Nepenthe

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken . Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

M: Mellifluous

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken . Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

L: Legolepsy

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The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken. Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

K: Kvell

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken. Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

J: Juxtaposition

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken. Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

I: Ignotum

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken. Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

H: Hiraeth

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken .  Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. 

G: Glabella

  The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken .   Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. I remember the day my son spent a very long time pointing out different places on the body and asking me what they were, repeatedly. “What’s this, Mama?” he’d ask, pointing to his elbow, then his knee, then his chin. We were on a roll until his tiny finger landed right between his eyebrows. He paused, looking at me with total expectation. I realized in that second that I had lived my entire life with that specific spot on my face, yet I had never once questioned what it was called myself. That small, flat space between your eyebrows, where worry and wonder often meet, is called the Glabella. The Glabella is more than just an anatomical land...

F: Ferrule

  The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken .   Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. One day, while we were busy sketching or shall I say scribbling, at the kitchen table, my toddler stopped and began picking at the top of his pencil with focused intensity. He kept trying to pry at the silver band, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Mama, it’s stuck!” he said, tugging at it. “What is it?” I realized I had looked at that silver ring thousands of times in my life—used it, nibbled on it as well honestly, and watched it wear down—without ever once giving it a name. That little metal “stuck” thing is actually called a Ferrule. A Ferrule is a ring or cap used to strengthen a joint or attach one object to another. In the case of...

E: Echolalia

  The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken . Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. One day, I caught my toddler whispering a new word he’d overheard me say during a phone call. He wasn’t using it in a sentence; he was simply tasting the sound of it over and over—Absolutely… Absolutely… Absolutely. It reminded me of the rhythmic, punchy delivery in an episode of  Maamla Legal Hai , where a single word, “Egregious”, is leaned into just for its dramatic weight. My son was doing the same; he was smiling at the way the “Ab” burst at the start and the way the “ly” lilted at the end. To him, the word wasn’t an affirmation; it was a melody. This rhythmic, sensory repetition is known as Echolalia. Echolalia is the repetition of word...

D: Dactylonomy

The Vocabulary of Life: An A–Z Journey through the Unspoken Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. One day, while we were sitting by the window, my toddler spotted a cluster of birds perched on a low branch of the garden tree. “One… two… fee… four!” he whispered, his tiny index finger tapping out a rhythmic sequence against his opposite palm as he tried to keep track of each flutter. He wasn’t just counting; he was anchoring each bird he saw to a physical touch he could feel. He was practicing an ancient, sensory art called Dactylonomy. Dactylonomy is the formal term for counting or expressing numbers using your fingers. While we often think of it as a “kid thing” before they learn abstract math, it is actually a sophisticated sensory bridge. It reminds ...

C : Chrysalism

  The Vocabulary of Life: An A–Z Journey through the Unspoken Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. One day, a sudden afternoon storm turned the sky a deep, bruised purple. While the thunder rumbled, my toddler didn’t hide; he simply gathered his favorite stuffed lion and tucked himself onto the swing, pulling a knitted blanket up to his chin. “Mama,” he whispered, “I don’t want to go to the parc today. Want to stay home” When I asked why he said, “It’s cozy and quiet at home”.  His “loud-quiet” feeling actually has a beautiful name: Chrysalism. Chrysalism is the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm. It’s that deep, primal sense of safety when you are “cocooned” away from the chaos of the elements. For a busy mom, these m...

B: Bibliosmia

The Vocabulary of Life: An A–Z Journey through the Unspoken: Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.

A : Ambedo

We often feel things that our everyday language can’t quite capture—the specific nostalgia of an old book, or the peace of being indoors during a storm. Inspired by my son’s relentless curiosity and his wonder, I’m spending 26 days unearthing the "Word-Nerd" gems and sensory wonders that give a name to our shared human experience. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker of quiet truths, there’s a word here for you. Life with a two-and-a-half-year-old is usually a sprint—a constant cycle of snacks, shoes, and "look at this!" But one day, we hit a sudden, beautiful standstill. We were supposed to be heading out the door, but my son stopped dead in his tracks. He wasn't looking at a toy or a screen; he was crouched over a single patch of sunlight on the floorboards, watching the dust motes dance in the air. He didn't move. He didn't speak. He was completely "under the spell" of the light. It made me realize that while I was ch...