Apolaustic  /apə¦lȯstik/ adj. :  Devoted to enjoyment

The word “apolaustic” has been in my vocabulary for many years now. The first time I heard it I was at a wine bar with my mom and the national spelling bee (of all things) was on in the background. Apolausitc was announced and the students positive expression turned as he asked for the definition and to have it used in a sentence. In the end, he spelled it correctly and I had a new word that I had fallen in love with.

To some the idea of being devoted to enjoyment might sound like a hedonistic way of life but to me (and many others it turns out when I started researching the word) the meaning is less sensual or sinful and more intellectual. A quality of connoisseurs.

My personality is none of these things by nature. I am a planner, a worrier, and feathers get ruffled when things don’t run on time. I’m a classic 6 for those of you who study the enneagram! So for me the practice of purposefully moving towards things that I enjoy and letting myself be present there takes effort.

Then about three years ago I read Maria Kondo’s best seller The Lifesaving Magic of Tidying Up and although the organizational processes she recommends were not really my thing (I love hangers, hate folding laundry, and absolutely DO roll my socks together, but I digress) what did resonate with me was her idea of items “sparking joy” with their owners. If a shirt doesn’t make you joyful, its out – that simple! So in life, if a job or person or, situation doesn’t make you joyful then it should also go…. right?

HA, if only it were that easy! But my takeaway from Ms. Kondo’s book was simple and already seamlessly blended in with the word I had been striving to live up to. I wanted to live a life more intentionally devoted to the things, people, places, and activities that bring me joy – a life apolaustic!

Let the journey begin…