The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

by John Koenig

looseleft adj. feeling a sense of loss upon finishing a good book, sensing the weight of the back cover locking away the lives of characters you’ve gotten to know so well. From looseleaf, a removable sheet of paper + left, departed.

This hits home.

Perhaps we should try keeping our eyes open while we pray, and look for the meaning hidden in the things right in front of us: in the sound of Tic Tacs rattling in a box, the throbbing ache of hiccups, and the punky smell that lingers on your hands after doing the dishes. Each is itself a kind of meditation, a reminder of what is real.

This is presence and intentionality

1202 n. the tipping point when your brain becomes so overwhelmed with tasks you need to do, you feel too guilty to put anything off until later, prioritizing every little thing at the top of the list, leaving you immobilized. During the lunar descent of Apollo 11, the “1202” alarm sounded just before landing, indicating that the computer was receiving more data than it could process. Pronounced “twelve oh two.”

Brilliant

mcfeely adj. inexplicably moved by predictable and well-worn sentiments, even if they’re trite or obvious or being broadcast blindly to the masses. From the middle name of Mr. Fred McFeely Rogers. You deserve to be happy. Your feelings matter. You are loved. You are enough.

I love this so much!

moledro n. a feeling of resonant connection with an author or artist you’ll never meet, who may have lived centuries ago and thousands of miles away but can still get inside your head and leave behind morsels of their experience, like the little piles of stones left by hikers that mark a hidden path through unfamiliar territory. Portuguese moledro, cairn. According to Portuguese legend, if you take a stone from a cairn and put it under a pillow, in the morning an enchanted soldier will appear for a moment, before transforming back into the stone and returning to the pile. Pronounced “moh-leh-droh.”

Yes. This is the perfect word for this feeling.

etherness n. the wistful feeling of looking around a gathering of loved ones, all too aware that even though the room is filled with warmth and laughter now, it won’t always be this way—that the coming years will steadily break people away into their own families, or see them pass away one by one, until there comes a time when you’ll look back and try to imagine what it felt like to have everyone together in the same place. From ether, an intoxicating compound that evaporates very quickly + togetherness. Pronounced “eth-er-nis.”

Hearthbreakingly accurate

kuebiko n. a state of exhaustion inspired by senseless tragedies and acts of violence, which force you to abruptly revise your expectations of what can happen in this world, trying to prop yourself up like an old scarecrow, who’s bursting at the seams yet powerless to do anything but stand there and watch. In Japanese mythology, Kuebiko is the name of a kami deity, a scarecrow who stands all day watching the world go by, which has made him very wise but locked in place. Pronounced “koo-web-i-koh.”

So precise

pax latrina n. the meditative atmosphere of being alone in a bathroom, sequestered inside your own little isolation booth, enjoying a moment backstage from the razzle-dazzle of public life. Latin pax, a period of peace + latrina, toilet. Compare Pax Romana or Pax Americana; sometimes the solace of bathroom stalls can feel just as profound as the protection of empires. Pronounced “paks luh-tree-nah.” wytai

This is why I have always wanted a peaceful, spacious en suite.

anecdoche n. a conversation in which everyone is talking but nobody is listening—instead merely overlaying words like a spoken game of Scrabble, each player borrowing bits of others’ anecdotes to build out their own, until we reach a point when we all run out of things to say. From anecdote, a short and often amusing account of real-life events + synecdoche, a figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole. Pronounced “uh-nek-doh-kee.”

I love this!

amuse-douche n. an activity that you’ve adored since you were a kid—riding bikes, reading books, taking pictures, cooking food—whose enjoyment dissolves on contact with hardcore fanatics’ ferocious obsession with technique. From amuse-bouche, a bite-size appetizer intended to tantalize the palate + douche. Pronounced “ah-mooz-doosh.” pâro

Ha!

daguerreologue n. an imaginary conversation with an old photo of yourself, in which you might offer them a word of advice—to banish your worries, soak it all in, or shape up before it’s too late—or maybe just ask them if they thought you had done justice to the life they built for you. From daguerreotype, a form of early portrait photography + dialogue. Pronounced “duh-gair-uh-lawg.”

Particularly interesting to "that girl in the Classmates.com ads"

amentalio n. the sadness of realizing that you’re already forgetting sense memories of the departed—already struggling to hear their voice, picture the exact shade of their eyes, or call to mind the quirky little gestures you once knew by heart. Greek αμήν (amḗn), amen + μενταλιό (mentalió), locket. Pronounced “ah-men-tal-yoh.” énouement

Heart stab