Word of the week!

The Germans are incredibly good at creating words for all sorts of situations. Schadenfreude is the only word I know that accurately sums up the pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. If you need examples, there is a great song in the musical Avenue Q where Gary Coleman sings about waitresses and frat boys in various situations. Some words are just fun to say. Krankenschwester, literally ‘sick sister’ is far more exciting to say instead of  ‘nurse.’

However, my favorite German word of the moment is torschlusspanik, or “The panic that strikes because of the closing if the gates, or the closing down of possibilities.” Sure, this term has been used literally to talk about boarder crossing and fleeing of states, but I think it has a much more apropos meaning for quarterlifers. We talk about the paradox of choice and how we as a generation avoid shutting doors. Maybe we are more afraid of closing gates. The fear that happens when one path is closed and we are channeled towards another is torschlsspanik. While we may not be able to quell the fear brought on by these choices, we do have a name for it. And with a name that is so much fun to say, maybe that fear is just a little less scary.