The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

The word sadness originally meant fullness," to be filled to the brim with some intensity of experience. It's not about despair, or distraction, or controlling how you're supposed to feel, it's about awareness. Setting the focus to infinity and taking it all in, joy and grief all at once; feeling the world as it is, the word as it could be. The unknown and the unknowable, closeness and distance and trust, and the passage of time. And all the others around you who are each going through the same thing.

The Romans called it lacrimae rerum, the "tears of things." We call them obscure sorrows.

"I read the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything."

—Steven Wright

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Featured Word

Heart Of Aces

a person covering their eyes with their hands

n.

the awareness that although a certain experience may strike you as utterly unremarkable, it might be having a profound effect on other people nearby, who will remember every detail for the rest of their lives—having inspired the birth of a phobia, a fetish, a lifelong relationship, or a lifelong career.

In poker and blackjack, the ace card can be valued either low or high; it’s up to the player to decide. Every day is an ace, which might end up being valuable or worthless, forgettable or unforgettable, depending on who’s playing and what else they’re holding in their hand.

Featured Chapter:

Between Living and Dreaming