“Faith gives flight to the imagination.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
The other day Cooper (the dog) had a play date with a neighbor’s puppy, Ziggy. Four-year-old Mr D. heard me say to the pups, “What are you two maniacs up to?”
And Mr. D fell in love – with the word “maniac.“
We were at the store a short while later and he yelled from the other end of an aisle, “Mom, call me a maniac!”
And he sometimes greets me, “Hi Mom. You maniac!”
It’s a rule in our house that we don’t call each other names but maniac seems like a term of affection to me. At least, I was saying it affectionately when I used it on the dogs.
So I looked it up in the dictionary and found that the informal definition matched my liking: An obsessive enthusiast (from Oxford Languages).
As I mentioned in My Love Affair with Words post, the word enthusiastic or enthusiast always reminds me of my dad since it comes from the root, en-Theos or “with God.” I’m at my best when I leave my logical nature and go with the flow of God, life, and the Universe.
So, yes, call me a maniac. On fun days, I have a whole houseful of them!
Surprised By Joy 