Todd and I in our 'dating years'
We had "BIG" glasses!
lackadaisical- adj.
- without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt.
- lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow.
A word came up in my 'Word for the Day' dictionary app, and I was flooded with memories of Todd again. Who would think that one word in 'Word for the Day' could ambush a person in grief. The word seems like an unlikely word for an ambush of grief too, cause it doesn't describe Todd at all, but it reminds me of him so much.
Todd was the first person to introduce me to this word lackadaisical. We were talking about teachers we had in High School one time, and he was telling me about his English teacher; Miss Frankenstein (seriously, that was her name). But Todd said she was beautiful and I believe she had been a 'queen' too (like in a Miss South Dakota or something). He loved to tell me about what a good teacher she was and how she could really teach something so you remembered.
When the word lackadaisical came up in their vocabulary list, she demonstrated it, but falling on the floor, and laying there lazily with a daisy. Todd said he never forgot the meaning of the word, and neither did I, even though I was never in that class.
Thank you Miss Frankenstein (who later married and became Mrs. Perman) for being a good teacher and not being lackadaisical in your teaching. Todd learned it, and so did I though him.
A memory tied in a word, a moment of grieving, none of which was lackadaisical.
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| Met Mikki (Frankenstein) Perman recently at a Reuer Family Reunion. She couldn't believe how much Philip and Kristi looked like Todd. |
I had her for a teacher also and yes that is how she taught. One word was cumbersome def. clumsy in the cucumber patch. Loved her teaching. She was also very dramatic in drama class by dropping to the floor. We had a class play under her direction and during one part we were to eat tacos and her and another started laughing in the audience for no reason as we thought because the play was not funny at that part but it was that they put sugar in the taco meat and could not wait to see our faces. Fun times Alicia Ritter
ReplyDeletegreat memory Alicia! I think I met her once, but of course never got to experience her as a teacher
ReplyDeleteKelley--So interesting that you would mention Mikki. You and her have more in common than you realize. She too was left a young widow when her husband, Cliff Frankenstein died after a long debilitating illness. She would totally know where you are coming from. Several years later she married Kurt Permann. They live in Redfield and she is still a talented, creative, infectiously enthusiastic lady. Garnet Perman
ReplyDeleteWow Garnet, I didn't know that about her. Thanks for some more insight into Miss Frankenstein.
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