For want of a nail

A parable of exponentially cascading consequences.

For want of a nail a horseshoe was lost,
For want of a horseshoe a horse went lame,
For want of a horse a rider never got through,
For want of a rider a message never arrived,
For want of a message an army was never sent,
For want of an army a battle was lost,
For want of a battle a war was lost,
For want of a war a kingdom fell,
And all for want of a nail.

19👍 2👎

smeyeling

An expression of warmth and happiness, conveyed only by the eyes, when one's lower face is masked.

Although most of her face was covered, I could see she was smeyeling at me.

one day at a time

The comforting delusion that time is linear and sequential. A fond and impossible dream for anyone living in a simultemporal state.

Feeling the weight of past, present and future always upon him, he yearned to experience time as most others described their experience, moment by moment, one day at a time.

2👍 13👎

error message

From the minor to the global, a warning that something is not right.

She began to interpret the pandemic as a massive error message, a sign to humanity that it had lost its way, and would now be forced to re-order and reconsider.

Facebook patient

Someone who uses Facebook as a thinly-disguised substitute for actual psychotherapy.

Heather's posts centered around her anxieties, her phobias, her delusional self-image - photos of herself taken today, taken ten years ago, taken when she was born - complimenting herself in a variety of ways, and her friends obliged, from empathy, 'liking', 'sharing', telling her how beautiful she still was, knowing she was a Facebook patient.

2👍 1👎

Intentionality

As taught in law school: A dog knows the difference between being kicked and being tripped over.

Perhaps the most vital component of trust and forgiveness, the factor of having committed an act inadvertently or willfully.

Although she felt hurt, she waited to respond, needing first to weigh the intentionality of his actions.

8👍 2👎

ridical

Radical to a ridiculous degree.

Even some young pie-in-the-sky supporters were feeling Bernie's ideas a bit too ridical for mainstream politics.