Today, I learned two new words: “dotage” and “tutelary.” The former refers to the late stage of life when one is weak and fragile. The latter can be an adjective or noun describing someone who functions as a protector or guardian of some kind.
“I’ve tried everything to raise her well and give her a good life, so I hope my daughter will act as my tutelary in my dotage.” There we go! Two new words, one new sentence. That was easy, wasn’t it?
I heard these words while watching a Youtube video of a new game I don’t have the right console for. I can’t play it myself any time soon, but I can watch someone else do it and follow the story. I’ve been watching these videos during breaks lately, so actually, I didn’t really have to go out of my way to learn. All I had to do was pause the video, open a new tab, and google a word — twice. Total time invested? 20 seconds, maybe. Yet here we are! Two new words, one new sentence.
When we think of healthy habits, like learning something new every day, our brains throw discouraging words at us, like “big,” “change,” and “effort.” Those words needn’t be true at all. Perhaps we should try some new ones, like “small,” “easy,” and “effortless.” Keep it simple when simple will do — and that is most of the time.
Don’t try too hard to stretch your mind. Stay curious in the fringes and around the edges, and it’ll learn all by itself.