Ay, We’re Coddiwompling Here!

This is part 2 of 2 of Rachel and I each (independently) sharing our reasons and intentions for our Recess. We are excited to fine-tune our blog voices individually and collectively!

Hi! I’m writing this from my bed in Denver, Colorado, in the midst of the great move to New Zealand. Hope you’re also somewhere cozy when you’re reading this. Break out a nice candle and put some cinnamon in your coffee. You deserve it. 

Oh boy. How do I follow up Rachel’s first blog post? I mean, I don’t want our Substack to be overly self-congratulatory – though to be fair, we’re two different people writing this thing – but come on! What she wrote was brilliant. Hard act to follow. 

Therefore, my goal for my contributions to our blog is to not be the “to follow up on what she said” guy. You know, that guy who basically repeats the same profound insights someone just stated but worse in order to hear himself talk? So while everything that Rachel wrote resonates with me, down to the marrow of my bones, I will let her words carry that specific message for now.

So, in lieu of a better segue, have y'all heard of the word “coddiwomple” before? 

I didn’t before my Mom sent me this lovely text! 

The definition reads “to travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination. (English Slang)”

I thought it would spruce up my reflections by referencing this word in my opening paragraph. And yes, I know that’s a cheap trick. 

I planned on drawing upon the historicity of antiquity. To speak the truth about the human condition. To say that yes, we too are adding to the timeless mosaic of those who dared to see what’s over the next horizon. 

Here’s the kicker though: I learned that the internet made up the word coddiwomple in the 2010s!

I was scammed!  You attach a wood etching image to a word that sounds like a London Tube station and you bet I’m thinking it dates back to Ye Olde English times. Back when Queen was written as “Cwen'' and names would mean something like “Second Son who herds swine in a God-honoring way.” I won’t lie, learning that it came from the same etymological era as “Le Epic Win” and “Bad Luck Brian” memes did make it lose its charm, at first. 

Now, I love it. It's great!  We need more words like it! Right now, I feel like the English language is ravenous for words that capture something we might be missing. Words like: 

Hygge: a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality.

Sonder: the feeling one has upon realizing that every other individual one sees has a life as full and real as one’s own.

And of course our humble coddiwomple.

There’s something intrinsically modern in creating an “old-timey word” to justify just going for something. To embark on something new, whether it be large or small, without knowing exactly where we might end up.

These words lend validity to our modern feelings. That there has to be something more than *gestures wildly around* this. That there is something off with how things currently are. That there is something that is lacking in our lives, and it can be found if we search for it, even if we don’t know what it will be when we get there. 

Honestly, great job to whomever invented the word coddiwomple,  You nailed it. I feel like I can use it to describe most things in my life.

• What exact shape will my career take: Coddiwomple. 

• What type of life will we have during and after our time in New Zealand: Coddiwomple.

• Great name for Spanish seafood breakfast place: Cod y Waffles.

(If you laughed at that last joke, you *legally* have to pledge your support to this Substack as punishment. Even if you did the “I read something that’s barely funny and blew a little air out of my nose” laugh. Yes, that counts too.) 

Just because a word was made in the era when people were arguing over if a dress was blue/black or white/gold, instead of what the latest tunic style should be, doesn't make its meaning any less profound and can still inspire us to action. The right turn of phrase gives us comfort when we are doing the things we know we must, even if we didn’t have the language to describe it when we started.

If I have any hope for this blog post and those to come, I wish to pass along the feeling of comfort that I got after my Mom texted me about coddiwomple.  

Know that other people feel the same things that you do. That traveling purposefully towards an as-yet-unknown destination is enough. 

Know that we’re coddiwompling along with you too. 

And that’s the first one of these done! Hope you stick around! That way you can learn what we’re up to not that far after we learn what we’re up to!

I loved what Rachel did at the end of her first post so under the ruse of establishing a consistent form (aka me stealing her ideas), I will also attach a list with a few of the things that are to be celebrated/blamed for my decision to make this change.

• “Something Better” Muppet Treasure Island: Honestly, just being raised on Muppet Treasure Island makes me feel like I’m always trying to embark on a big adventure at a moment's notice. If you find yourself with this specific song stuck in your head, it’s time for a change in scenery.

• Therapy: Getting into therapy this year has been one of the most helpful things of my current decade. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to finally get into it, and shoutout Dr. P for giving me tools to build the life I want. 

• All Studio Ghibli films, but especially the scenes in Kiki’s Delivery Service where Kiki is frantically trying to get her magic back, and the SOLUTION is just to go to a cozy place in the woods with someone who cares about you, and follow the advice of “just focus on what moves you and why you want to do the things you do, and also, why not take some time to rest” and it WORKS!: Honestly, the dream is to have that painter's cabin, or any of the bread from that bakery, and also while we’re at it, a talking cat with the vibes of Phil Hartman would be great too.

• The love and support from co-workers, family, and friends: From Fruita to Portsmouth and everyplace else, thank you all so much.

• The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois: Learning how to bake bread (or at least one recipe) paved the way for seeking out the different types of learning and experiences I want to have in New Zealand.

• All This Could be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews: I was recommended this book by Rachel, and at first I did not think it was my cup of coffee, but it really stuck with me! Would recommend it.

Quick spoiler, skip ahead if you want

I think the moment that really got me was when it was revealed that THE BIG IMPORTANT CONSULTING PROJECT that was making the main character miserable throughout the whole book was just to change what type of email provider a large company used. While I feel very fortunate that my jobs have not been that, that revelation felt like a warning shot.

• Any book by Becky Chambers: Captures the feeling of adventure and community I hope to fill my life with. 

• Lord of the Rings Films: Big reason why New Zealand is a go-to destination. 

• Rachel Galton: May everyone be so lucky to have such an amazing partner. The type that when after a day of tedious apartment hunting, you ask them “Are you leaning towards the one bedroom or the studio?” and they respond with “New Zealand.”