“Are You Bemused?”
Just hearing that question asked of me recently, as I stared off into the distance, may have put me in a bemused state. The synonyms for “bemused” are puzzled, confused, and bewildered. But, at that very moment, I was none of those words. I was channeling my muse for the sake of helping someone through a difficult time. I was trying to “be a muse.”
This got me thinking about words that start with “be” and have a positive meaning. We all appreciate our “beloved” as we want to be loved. And, if we’re doing our part, we ARE love. Similarly, we appreciate when someone “befriends” us, especially in a difficult time when we’re feeling alone. Then, there’s a beautiful word we rarely hear, “becalm,” which the world could use a little bit more of.
Of course, this got me thinking of new words that could have a positive meaning in our lives: “bejoyed” (that’s a good one), “benice,” “bewise,” or “befab” (as in “be fabulous”). And there’s always Bobby McFerrin’s oldie but goodie: “behappy.”
Hope you have a “belovely” day.
-Chip
P.S. On March 27 at The Commonwealth Club at 5:30 pm on San Francisco’s Embarcadero, I will be talking about my new book “Learning to Love Midlife” as I’m interviewed by Lenny Mendonca. Here’s more info - hope you can make it.
