Scriptokleptic
Oops! I was in a hurry. I was multi-tasking. I didn’t mean to take them. Thinking back on the plethora of stops I’d made on my last shopping foray before the big event, I recalled each place where I had absentmindedly absconded with them. Somehow they’d been inadvertently placed in pockets, three this time. I believe that’s a record. Is it shoplifting if they’re not for sale? Is it stealing? They’re complimentary, right? Is it ridiculous for me to spend my time coming up with a word for what I am…Scriptokleptic?
So we do things sometimes that aren’t completely wrong and aren’t completely right; sort of the ‘white lie’ of actions. Once, I ran a stoplight in the same frame of mind. I was distracted from doing proper because my mind was shifting from one track to another in an effort not to forget something. I forgot something alright. After I realized my error, I looked in the rear-view mirror. Sure enough, it was just now going from red to yellow. No one was harmed because no one was there. Probably shouldn’t be judging others for perpetrating small offenses. What if they were distracted? Maybe that guy who cut me off didn’t mean to, but was on his way to or from something cataclysmic? Hmmmm.
Back to my new word, scriptokleptic. As soon as I type the last ‘c’, the red line of spelling correction appears underneath as if to say, “that is not a word.” Who says it’s not a word? Who decides? In order to be added to our language, it probably has to be spoken frequently by lots of folks. Please help me ‘spread the word’ and use this term the next time you clean out your pockets and find something you didn’t have before. I know when they toss me in the cell for my offense, I will not be alone. Everyone has definitely taken a pen or two in their day.