E is for !

Ecstatically yours!

Fewer things excite me like words. I love words and the meanings they convey. My greatest day remains the day I discovered how words help give life to my thoughts. I had wasted time and talent figuring out figures of arithmetic but I was never going to be good at it. Now, my thoughts are animate, wild and queer. They struggle daily for an outlet from the dark canal of my head, like a rat released into the cavity of a stomach (Room 101 lingo!)—apologies to Gorge Orwell’s 1984 where this striking image was first used.

Like a virgin experiencing ecstasy for the first time, I had a WOW experience! When I was struck by the graphical power of words. Enthusiasm, Intruder, Apocalyptic, Vicissitude and Obnoxious were words I couldn’t overcome when I learnt them in SS1. By my final year I was a walking dictionary of words–they just give me this sensation!

Sometimes, in 1999, I was introduced to books like The Bottled Leopard, Concubine, Efuru (Florence Nwapa) by our English grammar teacher and my life has never remained the same again. These books changed my life.

I became a voracious eater of words. Never satisfied at the lexical meanings of words but looking for flowery words for my thoughts.

The knowledge that the blessed English language has millions of words’ entries gladdens my heart and sets me on a quest to use as many as possible in my lifetime in my writings. I don’t get satisfied with using everyday diction and I have trained myself to add regular out-of-daily-use words to adorn my thoughts. The result of such efforts is the thrilling sensation of reading my works and seeing the crafts in my seamless threading of thoughts in beautiful hues on paper.

Of all the elements of English grammar I have fallen in love with just an insignificant stroke the: !

A Proud Member!

For some funny reasons I like to use this peculiar stroke as often as occasion calls for. Really, it’s more than just a mere stroke but associable with excitement, enthusiasm and elation! Thus, it cannot be used for other-wisely purposes. However, some use as caution too, though.

My blogging experience and relations have had me using this stroke more and it helps to tell of my mood with just a few taps of keys (Shift + 1=!)

So, here is wishing you an ! Day

****

This is a contribution to #AtoZchallenge April blogging, where I am going to blog for the next 26 days on random thoughts in my head, hop in and ride along!