Close Enough

I spend a good bit of my life writing things that I don't find interesting at all.

Yet when I do find myself writing something worthwhile, there is almost always one constant: I'm using a thesaurus.

It used to be this red book with half the cover torn off. Published in 1990. I think I picked it up at my first newspaper job almost 15 years ago.

Googling "thesaurus" doesn't seem nearly as artistic or sentimental, but in truth, it opens up a lot more in the way of possibilities to express something.

And that's what's at the center of it.

When you're trying to share a nuanced idea in a conversation, you might say, "Hold on ... I'm trying to find the right word ..."

Of course, you don't pick up a thesaurus.

You feel what it is that's in your mind and connect with the words.

Recently, I struggled with the best way to describe an unexpected event.

"Shocking" just seems so overused and non-specific and tabloid.

The idea was more subtle.

"Startlingly."

That was it. It was the perfect word for what I was trying to say.

It's like you tap into your life experiences, compare them with others and rely on a resource to offer you the best possible ways to share how you internalize an idea.

I know I'm writing something that is precious to me if I care enough to find a better way to share even the simplest of ideas.

P.S. - I probably should have used a thesaurus to write this.