“What’s for breakfast?” my son asks. He’s visiting from California thanks to a Boston business trip.
“Malevolent . Ensorcell. Palatable.”
Sean watches me pour the words into my cereal bowl. “Are you adding milk to that?” he wonders out loud.
“I like my words dry,” I respond.
My sophisticated adult son sits down with a thud. The look in his gray-green eyes changes from amusement to concern in seconds.
“Mom, is everything okay?”
I pour two more words into my bowl, because I’ve never heard him ask that question. Usually, it’s the other way around.
“What did you just add?” Sean prods.
Sean checks his watch. Which actually is a phone, but right now, a text messenger, or perhaps an e-mail generator. He hits a few buttons on the device and then returns to stare at me.
I begin to eat. These words are extra crunchy, so the sound is disconcerting.
“Why are you eating your words?” Sean seems to have decided to play along with his mother’s eccentricity. A sign of maturity, because in the past, he’s ignored my tendency to be innovative, enigmatic, and ingenious.
My face lights up.
“What?” my grown-up boy brings his chair closer to the table.
“I just thought of three words for breakfast tomorrow,” I reply.
“Mom. Seriously. I know you’re a writer, but do you really need to eat your words, as well as play with them all day?”
“Play? Play?!” I reply, swallowing disquiet too quickly, thus choking on my words. “Writing happens to be my life, you know. My career may not be palatable to you, since your work involves concrete, commercial, corporate success.”
Sean stands up, pacing around our round kitchen table. “I didn’t mean anything malevolent by my question,” he says. “If anything, I’m ensorcelled by your ability to sit at your writing desk for hours, making up characters and stories. It’s just….” he pauses, and I note his uneasiness. My son is a confident, assertive, take-charge kind of man, so I’m taken aback by his hesitation.
“It’s just what?” I rise to clean my bowl, but of course, I’ve left no word behind.
“I get a bit unnerved when you blog about familial activities,” he admits.
I stand still, shocked. “I didn’t think you ever read my stories or blog posts,” I respond.
“Every week,” he returns.
Now I’ll need to add another word to my breakfast tomorrow: Gobsmacked.
Malevolent: adj. having or showing a wish to do evil to others; Ensorcell: v. enchant, fascinate: Palatable: adj. (of food or drink) pleasant to taste; Familial: adj. relating to or occurring in a family or its members; Disquiet: n. v. a feeling of anxiety or worry; Unnerve: v. make (someone) lose courage or confidence; Innovative: adj. introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking; Enigmatic: adj. difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious; Ingenious: adj. clever, original, and inventive; Gobsmacked: adj. utterly astonished; astounded.
vicissitude
quagmire
confusticate
paroxysm
mountebank
mondegreen
However, I guttled the gallimaufry without degusting and absconded unscathed.
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I had to look up some of your breakfast cereal in my dictionary today! You are too much fun, although I am a bit worried about the quagmire you’re in. 😳 One thing I know for sure, you are good with your words!
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I do love my underused word collection! 🙂
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haha. I think if we used these words more often, we wouldn’t be invited often to breakfast with others. 🙂
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What a fun post! I love that your son was willing to play along.
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Nothing like a little wordplay to start your morning… 😍
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Thank you Pam, I learned some new words. Have fun with your son.
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No matter how old my son is, I can always teach him a word or two… 🤓
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Brilliant! Love this post :O)
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Thanks for enjoying my word play today!
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Food for thought here Pam. I’ll be chewing on this one all day.
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Ohhh, you are punny … I mean funny. 🤗🙃
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Such a fun way to kick off the weekend. Enjoy the time with your son, Pam! ❤
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I may not be good at soccer or football, but I sure can play around with words! 😉. Hope you have a terrific weekend also, Jill.
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Great post – it’s interesting the assumptions we make about friends and family’s relationship with our writing. I have always taken the approach that it’s best to expect nothing from them but that is obviously a defensive position to protect myself against potential indifference!
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You express it just right here, Victoria. Most of my family seem a bit worried about my stories… therefore they avoid them. 🤔😆
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Oh… So interesting. So good
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So glad you enjoyed my word play here, Rotimi. Many thanks for visiting.
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My pleasure.
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ha! wonderful and creative post –
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Yep, I was in one of those creative playful moods! Words are like sugar for me. 👌
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You made me smile, as always.
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That is the greatest compliment, Arlene. May you smile all weekend long. 😍
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Pam, this was a wonderful post to read this morning and had me chuckling away! I love how your son reads your post – much to your own surprise! As for mobiles, they’re anything but phones these days – I occasionally remind my son he can actually use it to call people!
I love your breakfast words – gobsmacked is always fun to use! To reenergise my creative flow I set out for a walk to think of some to add to my breakfast bowl!
Sojourn
lassitude
Quandary
Ominous
discombobulated
whither
Vitriol
Now I just have to combine them in a short story!
Wishing you many creative breakfasts.
I’m so happy to see you back on your blog and sounding fighting fit, your brain sparkling with energy and creativity!
warmest hugs xxxx
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I have been told that gobsmacked is an English word. I think it’s a fantastic one that can be used in many marvelous ways. I love your list of words from your walk and challenge you to use them all in a story! Sounds to me like you had quite an exciting sojourn this morning. 🤗💙
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Such a creative and fun post, Pam!
You must be feeling better. 🙂
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I threw ENSORCELL in my cereal bowl thanks to you – I first learned of that enchanting word from you, Merril. ❤
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It is a great word, Pam. I’m glad you used it and thought of me. 😉
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🙏💕
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I’ve always longed to be described as enigmatic. But life has taught me that I’m by nature too much of an open book for that adjective to be tossed my way. Still, a girl can dream…
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Haha. Enigmatic is a rather sexy word, isn’t it? But I think an open, easy-to-read person is the kind I’d rather have as a friend. ⭐️
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This is great – now that I have a couple adult sons, I appreciate this kind of back and forth! Keep these posts coming and happy writing!
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This kind of word play is a lot like ping pong. And I love that game, as long as I always win! 😄
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Haha! We had a match going on this week about who ate the dark chocolate Klondike that was designated for my husband. My kids said it was me, but I denied it!
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Stick with the denial – seems to be working! 🙂 🙂
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Oh yes, I will!
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Another wonderfully creative post, Pamela. Fun to read. I’m not sure what words I ate for breakfast. Probably, “Wake up, Carrie!”
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In that case, I imagine you have a lot of – Wake… Up… and …. Carrie- words in your breakfast box waiting for you each morning. 😂
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I do indeed. 😁
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I enjoyed how your son played along with your creative breakfast. Perhaps there is hope for him. I don’t think anyone in my family reads my website. My main words: minimal, thirsty, apprehensive. I’m having a test later and had to stop food and water by 7:30 am.
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Ugh, tough words to have to eat for breakfast. I hope they digested well, that the apprehension is gone, and that the test was successful, Patricia. 🙏
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What a clever post, Pam. I learned one new word in the bunch: ensorcell. I’d be gobsmacked to find any of my kids read my blog! My husband does now but just because I’ve harassed him so much about it. Very cute indeed. 🙂
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Ohhh, these family members of ours. Truly, I think they’re frightened by our words-what will they reveal about us that they don’t know?
In reality, if they relaxed, our stories would ensorcel them. 🤓
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So impressively brilliant! May I join you for breakfast, you delightful Warrior? ♥
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I’d love to have your company for breakfast, Billy Ray. You just need to bring your own words! 😉😁
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Great post, Pam! The words I ate for breakfast are as follows: “Even with your license, you can’t drive by yourself because you’re not on our insurance yet.” Ah, blogging about family! Enjoy your time with your son. 🙂 Hope you’re feeling much better, my friend.
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Oh my gosh, I laughed out loud when I read your comment. Been there. Done that. It’s much more fun when the “children” are a bit older and just play word games. 😏
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What a fun post Pam, I bet it’s wonderous to know your son reads your blog and has learned a few spiffy words along the way! Great word play!
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To be honest, this was fictionalized truth. But boy I had a lot of fun imagining a breakfast with words. 50-50 chance my son will actually ever read this. But who knows, I may be gobsmacked. 😳🙃😀
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Still a great story. Hope you’re gobsmacked! 🙂
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Every day! xo
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🙂
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I was gobsmacked recently when one of my daughters commented on one of my posts. I didn’t think she even knew I exist, much less ready my blog!
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Don’t you love surprises like that? Yay for your daughter! My daughter “likes” my posts but never reads them. 😏
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The image of your story lights up my morning!
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Thanks, Jeanette. Happy Summer greetings to you. ❤
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I see that in the case of your son, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. What fun you had at breakfast. A granola of words.
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You upped the word game, Anneli. Yes, a granola of words indeed. 🙂
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Just two words today . . . because they were very filling:
Friggatriskaidekaphobia
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Happy Friday the 13th! Enjoy your son’s visit.
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OH MY GOSH! I had to look these up, I admit. A fear of Friday the 13th- oh my, thank goodness they don’t come around too often (Friday the 13th AND those words). I survived yesterday with no mishap. Did you?
PS. I loved reading about the inventor of the second word. Dr. Donald Dossey told his patients that “when you learn to pronounce it, you’re cured!”
Hope you have some more palatable words with your breakfast this morning, like “astonishment,” “enlightenment,” or perhaps “delectation.” 🙂
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I hafta admit, I had never heard “ensorcell” before. So, hey! Your blog is fun AND educational!
I am familiar with your son’s concerns about posts featuring family; my mom *hates* it when I include her in my posts. That said, she doesn’t read my blog, so I do it anyway. (Let’s keep that just between us, OK?)
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What’s your mom’s phone number? Oh, never mind…
Yeah, I think that’s why no one in my family except my guy reads my blogs. They figure if they can’t see what I’ve written, it’s not there. I call this post here about breakfast with my son “fictional truth.” It never really happened (except for the visit – we had a great time). But if he DID see me eating my words, this is exactly what the conversation would have been. 🙂
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Oh how we have to eat our words at times! That’s what we get for keeping the creative spirit flowing through our typing fingertips. My children grew up with their dad writing about them in the newspaper every week. So blogging about them has proven a little more facile. Except am always trying to figure out how much is *too much*. A fine line we perigrinate. 🙂
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Writing a blog is a pilgrimage to the other side – the side where words appear unbidden and sometimes unwanted, yet they roam in our mind and demand some attention. With words, we can wander to places our family perhaps would like us to avoid, but hey, we writers sometimes lose control …. as we peregrinate. 🙂 Thanks for, again, inspiring me with YOUR words, Kathy. xo
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Thank you for the smiles Pam! My hubby is asking what is so amusing but he wouldn’t like all those weird words…he finds my poetry too heavy though I avoid such words but to tell you the truth, I have digested all those you have mentioned. Thank you, I am so full! Burp! excuse me.
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Oh, I love your sense of humor, Balroop. Some people are more comfortable with heavier words than others, and some digest them better also. I’ve never considered the words in your poetry “heavy,” but sensitive, eloquent, and enlightening. They should go down easily for any reader! 🙂
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Wow! Two compliments in one comment! I am swinging in a hammock 🙂
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🙂
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What a fun post Pamela. I like that you were gobsmacked. One of my sisters follows my blog and the other has never read it. 🌼
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Ah, siblings. I have a brother who I adore. We get along well, although we live many states away. However, he has NEVER read my blog either. Sigh. His excuse is that he’s an accountant of numbers, not words. 🙂
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LOL. Excellent, Pamela.
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Glad you’re smiling and enjoyed my word play, John. Now I’m off to see what your three humorous dogs are up too. 🙂
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🙂
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Why Pamela, I ate your words of course!
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I hope my words tasted good! 🙂
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They had varying flavours (all delish from lemon to turmeric ) and most were crunchy.
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Exactly how they’re supposed to taste. Yay! 🙂
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Wonderful post, Pam! 🙂
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Thanks for enjoying my “Breakfast with Word Champions.” 😉
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Excellent post, Pam! And, happily, in my corner of the world, it was verification. I wasn’t eating it–I wore it!
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WHooHoo. Wearing verification means you had an excellent day!
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I’ll need to crowbar ‘ensorcell’ into a few conversations tomorrow.
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Let me know how that goes, Roy. Perhaps during your run, you’ll mention how ensorcelled you are by the view. I know that if I was running with you and your friends, I certainly would be!
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What a fun post… and some great new words. I think I’d add a little milk or yogurt to the words in my breakfast bowl, just to make them go down a little smoother.
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Probably a great idea. My guy eats his granola every morning mixed in with yogurt instead of milk. Looks unappetizing to me, but quite healthy. And he says it does make the words go down easier. 🙂
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Fabulous, Pam. So glad you gave the definition of ensorcell! I was ensorcelled by your post. Today’s breakfast words were pleasantly anicipatory but I know already, because Monday is not going to be a good day, Monday’s bowl will contain trepidatious.
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Well, you’re past Monday’s trepidatious breakfast – I’m hoping today’s is more appetizing! Perhaps: Encouraging…..Enthusiastic…..Ecstatic. ❤
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Like you, Merril introduced me to the word “ensorcell,” I remember its meaning because I see the word sorcery in it. Gotta have those mnemonic devices, you know!
Gobsmacked is one of my favorite words, but I seldom use it perhaps because I haven’t been astonished lately.
What word did I eat for breakfast today? EEK! (My grand-daughter turns 13 this week.)
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Laughing, Marian. I had EEK for breakfast last week, when my granddaughter turned 10 (or, as she exclaimed: “Double Digits!!!”) Where oh where is time going, and could it please stop a bit for us?? xo
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😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
I too had breakfast with one of my sons this morning and I learned “keep my mouth shut” and “bite my tongue”. I listening for a change and had a pleasant breakfast!
Enjoy your weekend, Pam!
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Oh no, Sharon. Never bite your tongue. You might bite off one of those delicious words you’re eating, like “HEALTH.” “COUNTENANCE.” .”KINFOLK.”
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Love it, Pam. Thanks for teaching me some new words. I think your diet is rather like that of Winston Churchill. How wonderful that your son reads your posts. Now you may just have to be a little careful what you write – about him anyway. 🙂
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My guess is that my son reads my posts only sporadically, so I shall not be deterred. Or, I’ll just change a few names and make a “son” story become “fictional.” 😉 Happy word chewing to you, Norah.
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You’ll find a way, Pam. You’re too creative to not. 🙂
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Bravo, lady. This is a superb vignette that had me ensorcelled from the very start!
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You have made me feel like a goddess who ensorcelles with her words. My fantasy, indeed. ❤
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-grin- you deserve it. 🙂
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xo
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I’m ensorcelled by your creative approach to breakfast Pam 🙂
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My your words always be tasty and nutritious, Andrea. I know your blog posts definitely are!
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How creative and fun, Pam! And it’s nice to learn that your son actually does read your posts. Sometimes, there are magical surprises just around the corner. As to my words this morning, there were only two: ‘coffee first.’ And they went down smoothly! 🙂 Have a great weekend and enjoy your mom/son time, too!
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Clever, Lauren. Coffee… First…. – the first words you chew on every morning. I admit, mine are TEA. FIRST. Right now, though, I’m chewing on fresh blueberries and enthusiasm. 🙂
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I love “chewing on fresh blueberries and enthusiasm,” Pam. I’ve been away, so am now back online. 🙂 Happy weekend!
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Welcome back and happy weekend to you!
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A most entertaining post, Pam. I really enjoyed it. I wonder what my sons think of me? My peer group thinks I am eccentric.
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In my mind, ECCENTRIC is a lovely way to be thought of. Eccentrics think for themselves, come up with brilliant ways of living, and one never knows what they’ll do next. Let’s you and I eat up some ECCENTRIC every morning, Robbie. 🙂
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This is brilliant! I frequently don’t comment, since by the time I receive your post by email, you have an enormous number, many of them so clever, that hesitate to add my mundane offerings! I applaud your success—and I love your writing!
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Oh, You! Believe me, sometimes I’M intimidated by the clever comments! I always love that you visit here and please, add your two cents as often as you’d like. Thanks for enjoying my writing – you made my day.
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You made me grin!
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Grinning is good. Grinning back. xo
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A fun read! 🙂
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Many thanks, Carla. I had a heck of a fun time writing about my wordy breakfast. 🙂
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I love this. YOU are just too CLEVER! What a great post and of course he reads what you post. 🙂 But Pam, I don’t think eating your words is that good for you. Better to get the words out and play on them.
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Good suggestion, Diana. I think I better select more playful words, first. How about CAVORT, GAMBOL, and perhaps a bit of FROLIC, also? 🙂 Hope you’re having a great playful week. 🙂
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This was a fun way to start my morning. I only had to look up ensorcelled, Not bad for someone who is still recovering lost words. 🙂 Gobsmacked explains a lot. Love that word. At this hour my words are still obscure. I’ll have to come back for a second helping.
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Ah, I think we all need second helpings on some of our words. Gobsmacked is one that sometimes needs to be used frequently, since often I’m beyond surprised at what life has to offer.
Hope your words are going down smoothly for you today. 🙂
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‘I like my words dry.’ – This is just perfect, Pam! And how wonderful that your son reads your blog regularly! And thanks for explaining the adjectives, I didn’t know ensorcell though guessed it must have something to do with sorcery. 😉
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I admit, I never knew the word “ensorcell” until a blogger used it in one of her lovely poems. I looked it up immediately and thought – yesssss, how important to be ensorcelled every day. ❤
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Pingback: BUBBLES OF JOY / #TheStorytellerSpeaks – Annika Perry's Writing Blog
Love this tale. I can just picture the breakfast scene–and I’ve had to eat my own words a few times, although not in the literal sense. 🙂
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I love Winston Churchill’s quote. Most of us are a bit distrustful or dismayed at some of the words that come out of our mouth. Not Winston. I like his attitude of standing by (and happily eating) anything he says. 🙂
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Pam, this post was so much fun! I’m happy to hear your son joined in. Isn’t it wonderful when business calls them home? I always think of it as a bonus visit.
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Adult children visiting because of a business trip is generally short and sweet. A win/win. I love that chance to have just a quick whirlwind “sitdownandtellmeevertything” get-together. Rare and fun.
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It seems perfectly reasonable to eat one’s delectable words, although we would have thought that this might be an end of day tasting perhaps reflecting on words that had escaped during the day that needed recovery.
We are both chuckling at the discovery of your adult son, reading your words on a regular basis and to your own surprise at that! We can totally relate. Every now and again, rare though, one of our four brood will leave a little hint of a visit to our blog, in the comment section. Most of the time, these are incognito visits.
Coming on the heels of a visit to France with our oldest and his girlfriend, our breakfast words are: enthralled, peregrinate and perambulate…
Peta and Ben
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What a fascinating visit that was, with your oldest/and his girlfriend. Traveling, walking about and being enthralled by the sights AND the couple. Ahhh, life only is enhanced as we age and watch our progeny explore their own adulthood.
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What an ingenious post, Pam. And I learned a new word – ensorcell. Now to use it in a sentence – without adding any milk of course. I like my words dry, too.
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You and I think a lot alike, methinks. I’m ensorcelled to think so. ❤
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Yes, probably even more so since we are brain damaged sisters. Haha! And that was before our head injuries.
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🤕….or, we’re better (and crazier) than ever!! 🤪
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Great post! I eat words all the time. I love the way you expertly made them visual.. ❤
I will have to remember this the next time I am eating my words.. without milk! 😉
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I have no doubt that you like your words crunchy, Courtney. 🙂
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Yum! That was a tasty bowl, Pam. And I thought I liked language. You taught me a thing or ten. Such a creative post.
My head is usually spinning with words and thoughts and ideas, but I’ve never foind any of them in my cereal bowl. Have a nice end of the year and happy 2019!
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Smiling. I’m thinking you found this post through Sue and Dave’s blog – so nice of them! I find that I eat my words more often than I should. I’ll have to go on a word diet soon. 🙂
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Yes, Sue and Dave. And, you’ve been so kind to read and leave comments on my blog for a while. 🙂 Happy New Year!!
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I enjoy “roaming about” with you and your guy. 🙂
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