Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Wordy Wednesday - Perplex

An enjoyable way to spend my time is to peruse the thesaurus and learn new and exciting words. Between the two of us, I sometimes get stuck in a vocabulary vortex. As the nerd in me squeals out delight, I beg of you to forget this admission and instead focus on confusion and all the amazing interchangeable words for it. 

Baffle. Astonish. Confound. Perturb. Befuddle. Dumbfound. Bewilder. Mystify. 

How can they all delight the tongue in such a fashion? And they all manage to convey a sense of wonderment, as if a magician has simply produced them from a hat along with a velveteen bunny the colour of untouched snow. Yes, they are  fluid and cloaked in allurement, but above all of them is one untouchable word which draws me in with it's lushness. 

The Word: Perplex

Essentially, it means to confuse, and yet the state of 'perplexity' conjures up to me the image of a lost creature stumbling through an enchanted land filled with mystical beings. It is Wonderland and Oz rolled into one. A Dr. Suess book with a dash of Never-Ending Story, an ounce of Labyrinth and just enough The Dark Crystal to keep things interesting. 

The word itself is fantastical and can transport you, not only to a different time and place, but a world where all mythical creatures roam free. It isn't scary or worrisome, but soothing in its oddness. Puzzling, but not unsettling. A world where anything can happen. And where Falkor exists, so I can pet his head and nuzzle into his silken fur. 

 
Look, I never claimed my thoughts made sense. 

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