12 PRETTY WORDS I ADORE : a list from a longtime logophile. (of her "shimmer words")

So, when I was about 9 or 10, before computers and hand-held search engines, I owned a dictionary. Out of boredom, and perhaps to escape the ugliness of post-divorce, trans-continental living and all kinds of fun things, I would search for words. Like a scanner, my mind would halt only when the phonetic sound or esthetics lassoed me in. I'd scribble in my ( still horrible) hand-writing. YES. I used tangible paper, and an ink pen. A non-sophisticated big blue and white, 4 color-pen, but ink it was.

I love words. We have had an ongoing affair for life, our fundamental issues being my horrid spelling, and their elusiveness when I'm working on a novel. But love never dies. It either never was, or will always be.

I used to also challenge myself to create a sentence with each one. In a theme, no less. Usually describing unrequited love, or family hurts, or some overly-deep for my age (this scale slid) concept.  This continued up until I had children. Then words became archaic and people thought I was either eccentric or trying to "show off" using: "Lascivious", "imbibe", "laconic" or "pithy" in normal, day-to-day sentences. So I stopped. But....I'm BACK!

Seriously, no joke, my eye lids softly close to these words. Like a sunset that whispers a hissing lullaby before touching the water. No one gets it. If a man throws a word at me that I don't know, I'm instantaneously furious and in rapture. Few things sexier. (like juxtapositions in men, witty banter, Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Sexy, Love.) But I digress....

In order of EXACTLY my choosing and preference, directly related to "adoration level" I offer you these little "purdy word-trains"....oh,  and you're welcome. 

12 breathtaking words.   Theme- "Being a woman": 

Serendipity: Finding something nice while looking for something else.

"Her head titled in full recognition and quiet joy when she met his eyes; the serendipity of this moment was not lost on her." 

Ethereal: Gaseous, invisible but detectable.

"The golden yellow flicker of the candle dancing around the dark walls cast a light spell, but also felt like an ethereal presence of both her mother's scent and spirit."

Tintinnabulation: Tinkling.

"As she finally retreats to the couch, rubbing her neck, the tintinnabulation of his toy rings through the baby monitor."

Panacea:  A solution for all problems

"Never for a glimmering second, has she had the false belief that her innate beauty would be the panacea; in fact, contrary to popular belief, it's been quite the opposite."

Efflorescence:  Flowering, blooming.

"In the swell of her early pregnancy, he was overcome with pride that his beautiful wife was effortless in her efflorescence."

Mellifluous:  Sweet sounding.

"It wasn't until her heart resonated the strings being pulled, that she heard the mellifluous song on the harpsichord."

Insouciance:  Blithe nonchalance (quick note: "Blithe" is beautiful , um and it's merely in the definition. Really? Looooooove both words defining it. Ok. Shh. ) 

"It was the insouciance with which she either offended you, or stirred a need to be near her. "

Ingénue : A naïve young woman.

"It was because of (not in spite of) people thinking she was an ingenue, that left the general masses shocked in her duplicitous wake."

Dalliance : A brief love affair

"The sweltering dalliance with the sinewy fisherman cooled off as quickly as the sea bass on ice."

Ripple : A very small wave

"It wasn't her hesitance of the immediate damage to her daughters in the divorce;  but rather, the imminent ripple that could expand like a rain drop in water, into their fragile self-esteem and perspectives of love."

Cynosure:  A focal point of admiration.

"Indignant, and with societal rebellion she asked herself why she couldn't be the cynosure of her own medications?"

Lithe:  Slender and flexible.

"She was precisely the kind of lithe yoga instructor we had learned to loathe in her patchouli and ever-calm cloud at the front of the studio."

.......and in a not-so-pretty-word: 

 "BuuubbbbbbOOOM." (dropped the keyboard) I've still got it. Three kids under 9, took my time, but that onomatopoeia proves they didn't take my words!