Words

Sometimes words get over-used.  Too much exposure.  Before the events of Sept 11, 2001, "horrific" was seldom used.  It was especially not used by television broadcasters.  Someone used "horrific" in searching for a way to convey the dreadful events of that day, and since then, all frightful events reported on TV are "horrific". 

A word you don't hear so often is "thrilling".  Perhaps one man's thrill is another's ennui.  Perhaps the idea of a thrill has been trivialized when "thrilled" is used simply to accept an invitation to lunch.  As I prepared a meal this holiday, and fussed with table linens and flowers, I listened to Verdi's opera "Attila".  For me, Verdi is thrilling.  I catch my breath, wait for the chords to resolve.  I stop and listen to each crescendo.   I never tire of the music.  Roller coasters are not thrilling.  Not for me.  Are they for you?  Does the slow climb and heart-stopping plunge thrill you the way Verdi's music does me?  Lucky us if our thrills are within reach.