F-WORDS ̶̶ there are so FLIPPIN’ many FANTASTICATIOUS ones! Here are a few more fun, FLAVORFUL faves after all of these from the former feast: FOOTLOOSE, FANFARES, FUNFAIR, FLATTER, FABOLICIOUS, FAH SHIZZLE MY NIZZLE, FACE-FANCY, FANDANGO, FORGIVENESS, FATHERLY, FAUNA, FELICITY, FRANKNESS, FRATERNIZE and FABOPHILIA.
F-WORDS are figured to form 7,138 English-ish words of our FABLED, FABRICATED dictionary, all family-friendly enough for any newspaper front page.
F-WORDS in the first fragment FORTIFIEED the foundation of the first two elements of “The S.U.N.S. (Smile-Making, Uniting, Neighboring, Spellbinding) Joyous Aging System,” and in this final FABULOSITY we will focus on NEIGHBORING and SPELLBINDING.
MORE F-WORDS (NEIGHBORING—others-centeredness)
26. FESTIVALS FOR FILANTHROPY (please pardon my facetious, F-ing spelling)
–DRESSED BY THE KIDS DAY Fine, you’ll look like a FLOOZY or a FOOL and it may make the fun-loving, FASHION-FLIPPANT whippersnappers interrupt their elders’ FOSSILIZATION, but this is a great way to raise awareness about “sustainable fashion.” Search for photos of this fundraiser on the internet. It’s a real, not FICTIVE, thing.
–WORLDWIDE VEGAN BAKE SALE Do you know how to tell if someone is an animal-cruelty aware, vegan? Not to worry, they will humble-brag it. This bevy of baked FABBY FLAVORS is a delicious way to support animal welfare.
–MOVEMBER, which started in Australia, has raised $542 million to fund 1,200 men’s health initiatives such as research of prostate and testicular cancers. To get in on this festive philanthropy, all it requires is getting FACE-FANCY growing a mustache or beard for a month.
–BOXING DAY SWIMS sees thousands of paddlers and floaters wading in throughout Great Britain on Dec. 26 each year to ballyhoo a variety of local causes. Many are in costume but having goose flesh from the FRIGID ponds and pools comes with warm cider and bragging rights.
–WALK THE WALK supports breast cancer research and the most FLAMBOYANT bras win a badge—well, maybe a ribbon.
–GREAT GORILLA RUN is so clearly captioned. Several hundred, philanthropic runners across London dress in gorilla get-ups to raise funds to help save endangered gorillas. It doesn’t seem too FAR-FETCHED to report Queen Elizabeth II was amused.
27. FOR (WHAT ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF?) The most popular mid-20th century radio program in the world, “This I Believe,” was based on a simple premise. According to a blurb about the book, “This I Believe,” which compiled transcripts of the personal philosophies of 100 well-known people, was based on this thinking–“It is that men and women will live happier and richer lives if they deliberately decide what they want from life.” Try to explore this question thoughtfully, positively and without religious dogma: WHAT ARE YOU FOR?
FAN FAVORITE, Aaron Tippin, shared these lyrics in a country music hit, “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. You’ve got to be your own (person) not a puppet on a string. Never compromise what’s right and uphold your family name. You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.”
Social media has made it a more FLAME-THROWING FACT than ever: “Everybody is a critic.” FREEDOM to FIERCELY KVETCH is relentlessly FLOGGED, but—WHAT ARE YOU FOR?
28. FOUNDERS Do you have the personality to be a founder? According to the bloggers at thestartupweekly.com, “Successful founders are innovative. They are always on the prowl seeking out new (and better) ways of doing things. This ability to create meaningful solutions is what makes them thrive where others have failed.”
The blog post on “founder personality” highlights how Sergey Brin and Larry Page wanted to find a better way to search the internet and ended up creating one of the most-successful companies of this century—Google. Besides the crucial element of being innovators, other traits rostered are self-awareness, passion, clear vision, good communication skills, decisiveness and the ability to plan for the future.
When I “Googled” to find other FOUNDERS, I found these FRESH thinkers:
Apple, Inc—Steve Jobs, Barbie—Ruth Handler, Facebook—Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, Wikipedia—Jimmy Wales, Rap Music—DJ Kool Herc, Tupperware—Earl Tupper, Looney Tunes—Leon Schlesinger with illustrators Hugh Harmon and Rudolph Ising, Target Stores—George Dayton, Chanel—Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, National Farm Workers Association—Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, Red Cross—Henery Dunant, Adidas—Adolf Dassler, Truth and Reconciliation Commission—Nelson Mandela, Microsoft—Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Playboy Magazine—Hugh Hefner, McDonald’s Restaurants—Ray Kroc
29. FORWARD-THINKING “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…the ones who see things differently—they’re not fond of rules…You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things…they push the human race forward…”—Steve Jobs, FORWARD-THINKING FOUNDER
30. FUTURISTIC Apple, Inc. really is the most FUTURISTIC company out there. They have already adjusted their prices for the next 50 years of inflation. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I “Googled” to find this wit at Upjoke.com)
31. FECUND doesn’t necessarily sound like a nice, NEIGHBORING thing but it means “fertile, able to produce offspring like a garden.” This lovely quote from the FORWARD-THINKING, Japanese teacher, Morihei Ueshiba, who was the FOUNDER of the martial art of aikido, reads like a prayer asking for our neighbors and ourselves to thrive: “Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next breathe up all the FECUNDITY and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and breath of earth with your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself.”
32. FRUITFUL Joyce Meyer, American Charismatic Christian author/entertainer, reminds us that activity and results are not the same: “Did you know there’s a difference between being bus and being FRUITFUL? Did you ever stop to think that just being busy—running around in circles all day not accomplishing anything—is the same as wasting your time? It’s frustrating to expend so much energy and time and not have any fruit from your effort!”
33. FINAGLE means to “obtain by devious means” but I’m encouraging you to use whatever means necessary to FINAGLE A BAGEL in Boston, Mass where, since 1998, the bakery with the great F-WORD name has been hand-boiling, hand-baking, hand-seeding and hand-FLIPPIN’ the best FRICKIN’, as they pronounce “FREAKING” in Beantown, bagels in the Greater Northeast. As they also say, “Take the T, don’t get stuck on the Pike because all the drivers are FRICKIN’ Masshole chowderheads, and go FINAGLE a bagel.”
34. FEASIBILITY We need a study to see if it’s FEASIBLE to get a frickin’ franchise of FINAGLE A BAGEL somewhere south of Boston’s “frozen chosen.”
35. FEASTING & NEIGHBORING A community feast called, Empty Bowls, has been my favorite cause-related meal over a lifetime of “dining to make a difference” charity events. FOUNDERS of this international NEIGHBORING, compassionate community event, were art teacher, John Hartom and Lisa Blackburn in 1990 in Hartom’s Michigan town.
Potters and ceramic artists create a bowl which is used to serve a simple meal. In my North Alabama community, the annual meal has been a delicious bowl of chili, using a local gent’s recipe and cooked in the kitchen of a church, served with a grilled cheese sandwich and a choice of a yummy homemade dessert.
“Heart-warming Communion” is a title for my mental photograph I take each year as I see hundreds of people of various religious and football FAITHS sit down and commune over chili, cheese and artistic creativity knowing their donations are given to local food banks to fight hunger in our part of the world.
36. FAR-REACHING Anne Reeve, writing for “Linked In” (January 2019, in an article titled, “Reflections: The FAR-REACHING Positive Impacts of Social Awareness,” explains “Social awareness is defined as the ability to pick up on the emotions of other’s and to understand what is going on for them in any given moment.”
A profound bit of philosophy an empathetic leader helped me learn in my NEIGHBORING efforts in attempting to guide American Red Cross volunteerism is, “People behave in a way that makes sense to them.” Stepping out of one’s worldview and walking a mile in that individual’s moccasins is at the core of others-centered NEIGHBORING and can have FAR-REACHING, positive impacts in understanding, appreciating, respecting, and cooperating for the common good.
37. FACILITATE “A person cannot teach another person directly; a person can only FACILITATE another’s learning.”—Carl R. Rogers
38. FORTIFY According to the nutrition bloggers at eatthis.com, here are FIVE FORTIFIED FOODS that are better because of this F-WORD:
–Whole Grain Bread—Years before a pregnancy, women need to build the folate stored in their bodies. Since 1998, the B vitamin folic acid has been added to many breads to prevent low birthrate babies. Look for breads that say “enriched” or “FORTIFIED” on the packaging.
–Eggs FORTIFIED with the omega-3 fatty acids: DHA and ALA are the ones to purchase. DHA, found in oily fish like salmon, sardines and trout, are believed by many gerontologists to aid brain function and fight heart disease. ALA is found in flaxseeds, hemp seeds and walnuts. Look for eggs gathered from hens fed flaxseed or seeds FORTIFIED with fish oils.
–Rice FORTIFIED with iron. According to eatthis.com, “(in the U.S.) About 20 percent of all women, 50 percent of pregnant women and 3 percent of men are iron deficient.”
–Unflavored Yogurt Look for brands like Chobani, Greek Gods and Zoi Greek which are FORTIFIED with calcium and vitamin D. Also, even though it might seem surprising coming from nutritionists, choose FULL FAT—4%–yogurt for maximum absorption of the FORTIFICATION.
–Unsweetened Oatmeal FORTIFIED with B vitamins, folic acid, vitamin A and iron may help lower your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
MORE F-WORDS (SPELLBINDING)
39. “FOOTIE” is Brit Box slang for the national obsession, FIELD SPORTS FANATICS find SPELLBINDING—FOOTBALL. According to “Words Matter” at the Wix blog, “That’s the game you play with your feet, hence the name. Don’t say “soccer” to a Brit. You might get a bollocking.” Bet your British friends and their FAMS a FIVER on the next “FOOTIE.”
40.FLABBERGASTIC means surprised, overwhelmed with bliss, awestruck, FLUMMOXED where your heart jumps with astonishment. The Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t pinpoint the origin but charts usage to at least to 18th century AD.
If my Bible study memory serves me, which verily it doesn’t always, in Luke 2: 9-14, the scribe scribbles about the birth of Christ, “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were flabbergasted.”
FLABBERGASTATIONS can add a tankful of joy on road trips. Here are some worth the trip:
–IOWA 80 TRUCK STOP, the world’s largest truck stop, is known as the “Truckers Disneyland.” Here you’ll be FLABBERGASTED to find a 300-seat restaurant, a dentist, barbershop, carnival rides and carny barkers with even hairier barkers at the on-site dog wash.
–POPS 66 in Arcadia, OK can be seen for miles thanks to the flat terrain and their 66’ tall soda pop can sculpture. Inside you can choose among 700 different types of soda pops and colas.
–ALZU PETROPORT in South Africa lets you watch your gas tank fill while you watch rhinoceros, buffalos and ostriches.
–CHEVRON FLOATING STATION in Vancouver, Canada floats on a lake to provide easy refueling for boats and aquaplanes.
–HOLLOW MOUNTAIN GAS STATION in Hanksville, Utah is literally, but still FLABBERGASTINGLY, carved out of a mountain.
“The JOYrontologist” prescribes: Throughout your life always believe some FLABBERGASTING S.U.N.S. joy is going to happen.
41. FAITH One’s spiritual beliefs can definitely be SPELLBINDING. Some churches in my home state, Alabama, have nurses on duty in case the FAITHFUL become “caught up in the spirit” and lose themselves in writhing wonderment. My own approach to FAITH includes regularly leaving the busyness of the buzzing 21st century to find sanctuary and SPELLBINDING connection in prayer.
42. FINESSE Yesterday, I escorted an amazing, technicolor, dream quilt and the gifted quilter to a quilt show in Morgan County, Alabama. Her masterwork involved thousands of vibrant-colored, geometric pieces and SPELLBINDING stitchery. It was created during the recent pandemic and I imagine the artist day-after-joyous-day FINESSING this FINERY as it transported her like a magical carpet “into the flow” similar to how an enraptured athlete would articulate being “in the zone.”
43. FA-DANG-A-DANG is reaching the absolute pinnacle. “Serena Williams is the FADANGADANG of ladies’ tennis. And, YOU are the FANDANGADANG of FABU FRIENDS!”
44. FLUENT in a second or fifth language is one of the most useful ways to experience SPELLBINDING. There are only 26 letters that make up most of the words in the world but learning how to FATHOM their configurations for greater understanding demands FIERCE FOCUS and/or immersive FERMENTING.
45. FEATS “Think You’re Too Old to Learn New Tricks?” was written by Rachel Wu and Carla Strickland-Hughes in “Scientific American” (July 2019). Their study concludes that FINESSING new FEATS like cellphone and computer use are not simply fun but are important for folks 50+.
“Our research team proposes that the benefits of learning and mentally growing—such as learning new skills…outweigh those of maintaining. Why should adults learn new things in midlife and beyond? The ability to live independently requires periodic “upgrades” because of changes in our environment, especially due to technological advances.”
46. FERVOR The regular pursuit of one’s passion provides a SPELLBINDING path. “Nothing can be fairer, or more noble, than the holy FERVOR of true zeal.”—Moliere (stage name of French playwright and actor, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, named for a Biblical hero known for great FERVOR)
47. FLEXIBILITY “The JOYrontologist” RECOMMENDS eldergym.com for those 50+. You’ll find an inspiring, weekly FITNESS newsletter and the FREE e-book, “4 WEEK SENIOR EXERCISE PROGRAM” for: Balance, Strength, Endurance and FLEXIBILITY.”
48. FABBADAZZER is feeling incredibly happy for no reason at all. This is an apt description of how one feels lost in the mesmerizing magic, losing all track of time as we pursue what feels like a unique-to-us passion.
49. FULFILLED It is important throughout life to ask: What makes me smile? How are my relationships with family and friends? Am I making a difference in the world? What am I accomplishing? “Happiness is mostly a by-product of what makes us feel fulfilled.”—Benjamin Spock
50. FAUXPOLOGY (foh-pah-luh-jee) n. An insincere expression of regret I discovered in “Reader’s Digest” (January 2019). If any FLIBBERTIGIBBETS poised to be judge-y about all these F-WORDS may have their eyebrows permanently raised, I’m offering this FEEBLE FAUXPOLOGY.
F-WORDS, all 50, were shared to FORTIFY the awareness of the FOUR, simple FACETS of “The S.U.N.S. (Smile-Making, Uniting, Neighboring, Spellbinding) Joyous Aging System.” With FOCUS and FINESSE, I hope you have great FLUENCY with F-WORDS in your FANTABULOUS FUTURE. We are FI-NUL-LY FINI with the F-WORDS…FUNICULI! FUNICULA! FUNICULI! FUNICU-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
JOY-GIVERS CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK
Sept. 24—F. Scott Fitzgerald
Sept. 25—Scottie Pippin
Sept. 26—Jack Lalanne
Sept. 27—George Gershwin
Sept. 28—Naomi Watts
Sept. 29—Jerry Lee Lewis
Sept. 30—Truman Capote
FLUFFY, FLAXSEED FLAPJACKS—NORTH DAKOTA FLAX SEEDS
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
Each week, “The JOYrontologist,” shares a recipe saluting a healthy food produced in America. This delicious and nutritious collection is called “The S.U.N.S. Longevity Cookbook” and highlights vitamin B-3 (niacin) which many gerontologists believe holds the promise of a long, healthy, joyous life.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp. flaxseeds
- 3 tbsp. quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- Dash salt
- 1 large egg, separated, room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. canola oil
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, buttermilk, brown sugar, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.
- In a small bowl, beat egg white on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.
- Pour batter by 1/4-cupfuls onto a hot griddle coated with cooking spray; turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until the second side is golden brown.
“The JOYrontologist” RECOMMENDS pairing a wine with whatever topping you choose for your flaxseed flapjacks. If you, like many, drizzle maple syrup on your stack, the sweetness could be balanced nicely by a chardonnay for those who prefer white wines. If you FANCY a red wine, a good match for maple syrup according to globaldrinksguide.com is a Valpolicella Ripasso like Tenuta Vallesalle Rovertondo, which was a gold winner in USA Wine Ratings.
1,070 JOY-GIVING THINGS FROM MY FIRST 70 YEARS (continued)
842. Faculty of University of Alabama at Birmingham when I taught “Creating Thinking 101”
843. Fatherhood
844. Frankfurters in Munich
845. Fred Flintstone cartoons
846. Frank and Fanny Farkel on “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” also, Sparkle Farkel and the twins, Simon and Gar Farkel
847. Fickle Finger of Fate
848. Featherbed at Granny Edner’s
849. “Freddie the Freeloader,” created by Red Skelton
850. Freddie, the dance, created by Freddie and The Dreamers
851. Fruit Fools, the folded, British custard
852. Fiction, a favorite reading format, re-found during the pandemic
853. “Far from the Madding Crowd,” a fiction favorite
854. “Far Side” cartoons by Gary Larson
855. Fruitful, wild blackberry picking
856. Figure drawing classes forever with live models
857. Flannel-mouth, the morning after
858. Flugelhorns at a biergarten in Germany
859. Foggy-headed jetlag every trip but too excited to sleep
860. Fidgeting on a church pew and saved by Lifesavers in mama’s pocketbook
861. Frothy milk punch in Natchez
862. “French Toast from the Renaissance,” a favorite punchline of a Steven Wright one-liner
863. French Dressing when it seemed fancy at Britling’s Cafeteria
864. Frog-giggin’ fun with my father on the Tennessee River
HAPPY FIRST WEEK OF FALL and MORE F-WORDS!
Read all the installments in this series at www.cullmantribune.com/tag/odes-to-joy-2022.
