This month I’m welcoming the energy of tarot’s Fool and seeing what magic captures my attention as I blog through the alphabet in the A-to-Z challenge. Today we’re visiting the letter B.
B is for bummel.
Bummel means to stroll leisurely; saunter; wander. I learned the word many years ago from an old man who had clearly mastered the art, and I fell in love with the word and the enterprise.
Our neighborhood is having some infrastructure work done and work crews are out creating giant holes in the streets and tearing up various sidewalks, making navigating to nearby places a bit challenging. Walking to the store down the block required a several-block detour, and rather than be annoyed I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to bummel. And who is better at bummeling than Fool, so of course I invoked a bit of Fool magic to see what might show up.
I found 11 cents; saw a squirrel doing his best to drag half a bagel to a secret noshing spot before being noticed by his peers; found a feather, and eavesdropped for a while as a mailcarrier carried on a phone conversation while delivering mail.
Outward signs of Spring are still mostly hidden right now, but I can feel the energy getting ready to burst forward – it’s palpable. That’s what I noticed mostly as I meandered. An overwhelming sense of expectation and promise. What beautiful energy to be in, and I came home feeling like I had been dusted in possibility.
And then I stumbled upon this favorite piece from Rumi:
“Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.
Don’t try to see through the distances.
That’s not for human beings.
Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty & frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
Perfect isn’t it? Exactly the kind of message Fool would remind me of after we’ve been bummeling.
What about you? Have you been meandering lately? Have a favorite word gifted to you by a wise old one? Been out walking with Fool lately? Are you doing what you love? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
oh, I love Rumi!
Bummeln is a word I used to hear used in Germany as a means to convey a lazy stroll with no particular reason, but to enjoy the experience. I have not heard it in a long time, and thank you for reminding me of the concept.
Have a wonderful day!
I always like when a forgotten word pops back into my world – it’s like visiting with an old friend and getting to remember why you loved them in the first place. Thanks for visiting Claudia.
That’s an interesting word. I’ve never heard it before. Thanks!
Glad you stopped by to say hi Deb – thanks.
Thank you Deborah! I’m going to use that word as I go bummeling as I often do, walking around the neighbourhood, and will definitely invite The Fool to come along – and the dog.
I bummel quite a bit in my dreams walking to who knows where. Sometimes in day-time (in my dreams) sometimes it is dark or dark-ish in the dream.
I had a lovely bummel (in real life) this morning walking down the road, seeing beautiful roses of many colours, sidestepping the cracks on the tiles of the pavement.
Thank you also for the beautiful Rumi poem.
Oh yay for both real life and dream bummels! I don’t often bummel in my dreams, but when I do, I usually end up finding the most amazing buildings and shops. I’ve got my dream mind trained now so that when I realize I’m strolling, I get kind of excited knowing that I’m going to turn a corner and find something fabulous. Happy bummeling Susan, and thanks for stopping by.
Every day I learn something new, today is a new word. Thank you Deborah.
Evalina, This and that…
I love that there’s always new things to learn!
I like that!
I will have to come back here and peruse through, so much to offer!
And thanks for reading and visiting my blog earlier! 🙂
Glad you stopped by Michele!
Wonder if that is where the word “bum” comes from? Marvelous new word. I know I don’t bummel as often as I should! Have a great day!
Yes to more bummeling Janet. There’s a movement called Slow Time that encourages just such behavior. Wishing you a wonderful day as well.
I have a habit of walking fast but as I get older, and depending on where I am going and what I am doing, I find myself walking slower and enjoying the view. Lovely post. =)
Happy A to Z’ing!
Morgan,
A Poet’s Kitchen
Playing with Words
StoryDam
Taking time to smell the roses and enjoy the view really IS a good thing. Thanks for stopping by.
What a peaceful post. Ironically I just came back from a bummel. Then I found your post. I look forward to more!
Bummeling feels so good doesn’t it? It’s like a secret the rest of the world isn’t in on – that there’s time to breathe and notice and just be.
I wonder if Beau Brummel went bummeling? But he ended up a bum, right? I loved the Rumi poem. Cheers to you, Deborah.
LOL!
What a beautiful poem.
Somehow the word bummeling is reminding me of The Importance of Being Earnest. Doesn’t the whole thing start when the main character goes bummeling? Or maybe it’s bumbering… hmmm…
Anyhow I think we’d all be better off if we could remember that we are human beings, not human doings!
Beings indeed. Thanks for strolling by saying hi. Wishing you a wonderful day.
I had to look this one up. It’s Bunburying, which must be closely related to bummeling. Here’s the definition: “Avoiding one’s duties and responsibilities by claiming to have appointments to see a fictitious person.” – from Wikitionary.com
Oh Harmony that’s hilarious. A tip of the Fool’s cap to you for introducing me to such a fabulous new word. I’ll do my best to be popping it into conversation soon.
You’ve inspired me to take an insouciant stroll today. Good!
Perfect Kate – enjoy!
Deborah, you’ve made my day. I’ve recently been searching for a new synonym for “walk.” See, when your house is full of bouncy dogs, you say the word “walk” at your own peril. We used to use the word “perambulation,” then later shortened it to our own word, “pramble,” which began as a noun and evolved into the higher life form of a verb: “We prambled down the beach.”
But “bummel”! Be still my prambling heart! I’m so excited to use this word. We go bummeling down the beach nightly now that spring is here, our heads bent as we search the rock beds for treasures.
Thanks for expanding my inner thesaurus!
LOL – I can see the problem with “talking your walk.” Sorry I just couldn’t resist! And I love that you created your own word pramble – I’m adopting it for sure now.