As an author, I live in a dreamlike world of words. It is a brilliantly creative mental state that surveys most of life’s obvious constraints. It is during those moments that I find occasions where historical words have collapsed and become obsolete. Under unique circumstances, these words resurface with a new purpose and force themselves to become known.
An example of this includes the following: During a recent side-bar conversation, I was made aware of a word that had been nearly abandoned with use. Despite its very revealing message, the historical origination and worth were completely unknown to me. This compelling Roman/Latin word, Apricitas, later spoken as Apricity, was used to describe the warmth of the sun in winter.
Initially, I believed Apricity was similar to the word, appreciate. Yet, as an author, I felt the word resembled something greater. I suddenly found myself searching for a keyword advantage; a way to include such an expression. I did not see the word, Apricity, as something that merely described a state of winter permanence. It manifested into a deeper, more descriptive, long-lasting influence on my psyche.
I sought to expand its purpose. It would not represent a fluke or a singular weak source of warmth. Apricity would represent something far more eternal; more than a feeling in ongoing literary narratives. In a dramatic fashion, it could take on a life of its own, especially in the midst of a fictional character’s personal struggles and darkness. During those moments, it could become a word to be treasured; a priceless gift; a beautiful name tag attached to a sensation that all of us desperately try to identify. Within a matter of seconds, the word, Apricity, would become more than a simple feeling of warmth in winter. It would express how all of us desire to have life-lead experiences.
I have settled on the theory that Apricity represented a beacon of hope during the charting of a lifetime of unending excursions. This becomes more profound when personal matters are difficult to organize and serious questions to one’s existence remain unanswered.
In the end, with the simple introduction of an ancient Latin word, I am in awe of its natural brilliance. I am forever grateful for its flexible interpretations. In many ways, it provides a pathway of strength, especially in everything we want.
Bud Megargee is a former senior behavioral healthcare executive; a Washington, DC., healthcare lobbyist; and an independently published, best-selling and award-winning author. He began writing after exploring Eastern philosophy and alternative medicine techniques in the professional treatment of emotional challenges at a Taiwanese Buddhist monastery.