Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

X is for Xenial

Xenial (pronounced zee-nee-al) New Latin from the Greek for hospitality from xenos, meaning guest. Of or relating to or constituting hospitality or relations between host and guest, especially among the ancient Greeks between persons from different cities.

So basically being xenial means being hospitable to visiting strangers or foreigners. (Notice how closely hospitable, hospital and hospitality are related.)

My grandmother, Erva "Love" Hartwell Boulon was a consummate hostess. She was xenial towards all her guests, making them feel welcomed and comfortable. (For those of you new to my blog, Grammy ran, at different times, two guest houses on St. John.)
It didn't matter to her who you were, where you came from, why you were there, she gave the gift of herself equally to all. She had a loud uninhibited cackling laugh. Sometimes a trace of it comes out of me. I love it when it spouts out of my throat, unexpected, a burst of noise. It sometimes causes people turn and look at me oddly, like if it explodes at a restaurant or in a movie theater.

Besides her laugh, I hope I have some of Grammy's xenial qualities as well. I hope this blog is xenial, a place where strangers feel welcomed.

Okay, so how can I relate xenial to writing. That's easy. I have "met" many wonderfully xenial writing people through the blog-o-sphere who have given me help, information, and encouragement. I am humbled and honored.

Thank you.

18 comments:

  1. That's similar to 'genial' I guess! Not quite the same though...

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  2. Thank god I found your post. After about fifty whiny, self-serving, cantankerous blogs I was just about to stab myself in the eye. Much less painful than reading another one, the last one almost convinced me Peter Pan was actually a satanic devil sent to torture small children.

    Your blog was light, sweet, and refreshing. Ahhhhh.

    Glad to follow ya.

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  3. lol at comment above! :)

    Wanton Redhead says it all. Your blog is lovely.

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  4. You are never too old to learn, they say. Xenial is new to me and not in my Concise Oxford Dictionary; I have already discovered other X words I didn't know about.
    Thanks Bish; I'll turn round in restuarants when I hear that laugh.

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  5. What a congenial word that word xenial. It's another one to put in the memory store. Thanks Bish.

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  6. Good one for X. This was NOT an easy day.

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  7. I knew you'd find a good x-word. Maybe when I start my B&B I'll try and be a xenial hostess. But I doubt it. I'm too cantankerous by half.

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  8. I feel very xenial when I visit with you...love the cackle 'exploding'! Fun

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  9. Xenial, not to be confused with denial. Awesome word!

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  10. It shines out of her picture. Bully for you having her laugh. Would love to hear it.
    Happy X Day

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  11. You're definitely zenial. Thanks to the A to Z Challenge for letting me find your blog!

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  12. You do indeed have a xenial blog! And thanks for introducing us to such a cool word of loveliness. My daughter has a friend at school named Xenia, "welcoming to strangers." What beautiful hopes her parents have for her (and yes, she's a little sweetheart).

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  13. Ahh I like it and you are very right! You had a good X word. And I learned something hooray!

    Teresa

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  14. I love the word "xenial." And your grandmother sounds like a wonderful person that we should all want to emulate.

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  15. I learned a new word today! Sounds like your Grammy was a lovely woman.

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  16. I love reading about your lovely granny. She had quite an awesome gift. And I say that not only because you told me about her before, but it is in her smile. I can see it.

    And I say thank you. :0)

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!