Gastrolith

I feel one of the greatest things that an individual can maintain throughout their life is to continue to learn about the world around them. This supports a sense of wonder and excitement about everything.

 

I can remember as a young adult I would take out my dictionary and open it up to a random page and circle my finger in the air above and then drop my pointing finger down on the page. Sometimes, I was surprised that it would land on a word that I already knew the meaning…but more times than not, I would come across a word that I had never heard of before. This quickly became a daily game to see how many words I could acquire, as words were added to my vocabulary I came to a clear understanding that I would never run out of new words to learn.

 

Today, I pulled out the dictionary and opened it…and circle the air and landed on a new word… one I have never heard of before. I reminisced as how I would use these words as the building blocks for stories or fantasies that I could create and play out in my mind. These were my adventures that begin with one random word.

 

 

My word today… gastrolith.

 

A gastrolith, also called a stomach stone or gizzard stones, is a rock held inside a gastrointestinal tract. Gastroliths are retained in the muscular gizzard and used to grind food in animals lacking suitable grinding teeth. The grain size depends upon the size of the animal and the gastrolith’s role in digestion. Other species use gastroliths as ballast. Particles ranging in size from sand to cobbles have been documented.

 

 

Today I am a big green dinosaur eating from the tree of knowledge. As my gastroliths help to finely grind my newly gained knowledge so my mind, body and soul can utilize it to make my world just a little bit better.

 

The best part is that the story does not have to have beginning, middle, or end and it does not have to follow any logical sense to anyone except the person creating it…and even that is up to them to decide. This is one of the most wonderful things about imagination!

 

During this dinosaur adventure today, I was reminded that not only are we natural storytellers but we all have a story to tell. These stories are important because it is a process for us to express things that maintain the core of our being; it helps to build understanding and compassion with others in our communities. So my dinosaur today did not save the world, but it placed a smile on my face…and made my tiny space in the world a little bit better.

 

Go open up a dictionary and find a word… what story does it have to share with you? What great adventure is waiting for you?

 

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One Response to Gastrolith

  1. P. says:

    Your dinosaur gave me a smile too! 🙂

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