TODAY THE WORD is LOLLYGAGGING. I am not sure of how many of you are going to recognize this word, but it is a fun sounding word with almost the same meaning with a slight twist.
To lollygag is to fool around, idle, and to spend time aimlessly and that is somewhat similar to having fun. However, there are a slight variance between the two representations. A person can be actually be accomplishing something while having fun doing it. Sports comes to mind with a goal in mind; to win or achieve certain accomplishments while attempting a certain feat. Hobbies can be viewed as fun with hopefully an outcome to the efforts put forth. Lollygagging comes with an entirely different goal by having no goal set. What I wonder how many of you will know that in the 1860’s, it was a term used for public affection, such as flirting, or kissing. I know I didn’t know that tidbit of info.
We use the word for total nonsense, something of no worth and therefore it lost it’s affectionate meaning and has progressed or, in this case, regressed to a more negative meaning. How can lollygagging have an effect on people? When others look upon someone with a lot of talents or abilities tossing them to the wind and giving into the foolish things in life; the effect is tremendous as the person sometimes will looked upon as a failure. Lollygagging can be destructive for some people and for some others can be a way to relax, shut out the world, and/or meditate by drifting into a day dream for a while. Am I saying, all lollygagging is destructive; hardly! I thought about some lollygagging this morning, while I was sitting in the doctor’s office and waiting for them to re-check my blood pressure. I was sitting on the patient’s table, legs, swinging, and trying to take my mind to a happy place. I think this might be looked at as lollygagging if it had been viewed by any onlookers. However, I had a goal with my lollygagging, and it was to relax. That brings me to my deeper thought….I am guilty of this as well as so many of my family and friends, not de-stressing and not actually doing some innocent lollygagging for relaxation. I feel we get caught up in family matters, work, relationships and not to forget the worries of the world (things we have so little control over) and we stress and stress. We make plans to straighten all of the problems and in doing so, we can make our mind and health a beaten down tool. God has given us permission to have fun, while keeping his commandments. He gave us laughter to ward off the bad things as well as a sense of humor to laugh even at ourselves or events. Today, God gave us lollygag as a word to smile when we say it; make plans to do a little lollygagging without fear of losing our responsibilities. If we live right, play right and say right; we can smile right!
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Ecclesiastes 5:18
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot
(c) copyright 2013 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.
