I love words. I love reading them. I love saying them. I love listening to them. I love combining them. Words – and how we use them – are so important.

When I started dating after my divorce, one of the things that was at the top of my wish list of qualities in a romantic partner was a good vocabulary – a reader was a plus! And in my very first interaction with J, he not only used a variety of really good words, he alluded to Jane Austen and recommended an author I’d never heard of whose use of the English language is so exquisite that it has brought me to tears. (If you don’t know him, check out Patrick Rothfuss.)

I am a total word nerd and have been fortunate to find someone who “uses his words” well.

So today, it was no surprise when, in the middle of the day, J texted me about the words “trustable” and “trustworthy.” Neither of us had ever heard of trustable, and he was wondering if it was even a word. So I went to my old friend, Merriam-Webster, and sure enough, it is. So I took a screen shot of the definition and texted it back. Here’s an excerpt of the rest of our conversation:

J:  It sounds incredibly clunky.

Me:  Agreed. So does “trustingness,” which is also included in that entry. Words are weird.

J:  It’s like “sticktoitiveness.” Just say “tenacity.”

Me:  Do you know how sexy I find you right this second?

J:  He’s not Sticktoitiveness D.  He’s Tenacious D.

This interaction is so right on so many levels I can’t even believe it.

I’m not letting this man go.