Favourite Words: Apricity

Today I don't think I can help but babble a bit about one of my favourite words. Apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter. Sadly it isn't used too often but I stumbled across it rather recently and it has been my current favorite word since.

(Not my image. Found on Pinterest.)

It seemed especially appropriate as I happened to wake up to beautiful snowflakes falling outside my window the other morning. I got to walk to my class as they fell on and around me and absolutely loved every second of it despite the cold. Because snow makes the cold worth it at the point, in my opinion. 

Plus, I really like feeling like I'm somehow in a snow globe with all the little glitters floating and swirling around me like little silver ashes.  

It didn't stay on the ground of course. Snowflakes in Portsmouth, England for a few seconds is rare enough as it is, let alone a few hours. So the idea that it might possibly stick to the ground was completely out of the question. There was however a fine dusting of white on the grass of the common that I could see as I passed by and a little more on cars that had been parked overnight on the streets. 

Everything was slightly more beautiful. And for me --who is normally more concerned with staying awake at 8:00 in the morning than noticing something beautiful-- that is saying a good bit.

However, it wasn't until I was walking back several hours later, that I thought of apricity. It had snowed off and on while I was in my morning classes. Sometimes more than others and sometimes stopping altogether. Never much at a time. Walking back it had all but stopped, but looking up past the rooftops of the city buildings I could still see glimpses of tiny snowflakes here and there occasionally. The sun was high in the 1:00 sky by then though and I could actually feel slight warmth from it on my face. I couldn't help but smile then. For some reason the ability to see snowflakes --and be out among them as they fell-- without the bite of cold wind trying to chisel away at my face made me inexplicably happy. Kind of like those rare occasions when it's lightly raining but the sun is out shining and making everything the rain touches sparkle rather than a grey backdrop from dark clouds.

So needless to say I enjoyed that walk a lot, happy for the sheer joy of it, and somewhat laughing at the fact that such simple things can be so remarkable to me. But I would rather consider too many simple things stunning and extraordinary than fail to notice what is all too often overlooked.