Everyone uses the term "overwhelmed" at some point in their life. Most people know the flip side of this coin is the term "underwhelmed". What I am pondering today is: why can't I just be "whelmed"? Is that even a word? Nobody uses this word. Why?
Before moving forward with that, I'd like to take a moment to say hello. It's been a few weeks since I've made a publication and I just wanted to say that 1, I've missed the blogs(and you guys) and 2, I'm trying to manage my time better while navigating the perilous straights of life. Long story short, I'll be making more time to do things I love. Blogs being 1 of them. Moving forward...
I've been interested in the terms "overwhelmed" and "underwhelmed" since watching a silly Facebook reel where a wife asks a husband how he's feeling that day. English being their second language, he answers: "whelmed". Which his wife finds hilarious, saying: "That's not even a word!", so the husband goes into a sub-rant of how he isn't overwhelmed or underwhelmed...simply describing his disposition as "whelmed".
I had never heard the term "whelmed" used before. So, it was funny but also thought-provoking. What I did next was what any wild Mitchell would do and looked into it. Digging relentlessly into the depths of the interwebs. Is it even a real word? If so, is it really the split difference between over and underwhelmed? Does this exist!? It became my literary big foot. A side quest in my journey of life. I just had..to..know. A quick glimpse into the mind of the man behind this keyboard will show you that I get little things like this stuck in my psyche and they just don't go away until I've beaten to death every Google rabbit hole I can find on the topic until I satisfy that particular thirst attached to the knowledge being sought. ...Call it a personality flaw, I call it Divine guidance(but that's an entirely different publication in itself).
"Call it a personality flaw, I call it Divine guidance"
Anyways, I believe I get things like this "stuck" so I can 1, gain particular knowledge on a subject and B, so I have things to talk with you guys about in these blogs :) Side note my belief that phantom, pure, interests are the Divine, God, Higher Self, Universe (whatever term you use) guiding you along your path, calling, life journey (whatever term you want to use here too). Let's get back on track and wrap it up...
My temporary obsession with this whelming pocket of terminology (see what I did there ;)) has undercovered that the word "whelmed" or simply "whelm" actually means overwhelmed. What? Yeah, I know... Why would they? Well, what we have here is the evolution of the English language. Whelmed used to be the word we use for overwhelmed and somewhere along the way, one of us wise guys decided to add part of its description into the actual word itself. And yes! I'm thinking the same thing you are (probably). So now we have "overwhelmed" and its sister word "underwhelmed", which came from the mommy and daddy word "whelmed". So what's the happy medium? And why exactly do I care so damn much?
This is what I've gathered for us: This structure of whelming words is a reminder. It's a reminder that sometimes what we need to find that peace, search for the serenity we crave, and gain that centered balance is to step out of the structure we're obsessed with. Get out of the box. If what you're seeking isn't in there, step out of it. Yeah, I know. It really is that simple! Ok, ok, the PRINCIPLE is that simple. You got me. The implication in your life can be much more difficult. But, a great first step, and why these are words rattling around in my head to begin with, is self-awareness. Which is becoming just as important in my life as gratitude. A life-altering pillar to living a purposeful life. Can ya'll believe that!? I got all that just from a couple of words!
And with that, I thought this would be the perfect step back into making the publications that keep us connected. You get a bit of Mitchell mind sugar poured out on you and I get to do something I love (self-care baby!)
I really hope you all have a great week. I'm looking forward to our next chat.
Bye!
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