Neshama and Other Words to Know

All opinions expressed on the blog are solely mine. 

"Volleyball is life." So is learning.  

Part of growing up is learning words from other languages. Sometimes they convey more expansive meanings than English words. Communication is an important part of volleyball...and life. 

For example, "schadenfreude" - a German word - means "to take pleasure or delight in someone else's misery." 

Yiddish is an old language which has many expressive words that apply in daily life. Here are a few to add to your lexicon. 

Mensch - Add value through support and mentoring. "A mensch, in Yiddish, is a person of integrity, morality, dignity, with a sense of what is right and responsible. But mensch is more than just an old Yiddish adage. It is relevant now, across the world, more than ever… “To be a mensch is to be supportive. To be a friend, to be calm in troubled times." Usually used to describe an elder, develop the qualities of a mensch earlier in life. "Coach Celli is a volleyball mensch."

Dreck - Dreck is literally trash or junk. Sometimes, people describe something as 'drecky'

Klutz - Klutz describes a clumsy person. Literally 'klutz' means a piece of wood. 

Kvetch - Kvetch can be a noun (complainer) or verb (to complain). Similar to being a whiner. 

Neshama - Neshama is a term of endearment meaning spirit or soul. I've heard it used to mean "sweetie." 

Nosh - Nosh means 'snack' and sometimes you'll hear that someone is a good nosher. 

Schlep - Schlep means to haul something around. It usually implies a task. "We schlepped the volleyball equipment around." 

Schmooze - Schmooze means to have a chat or conversation. I usually think of it being an informal discussion.  

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. Antenna Jump plus - 

• Jump rope (60 secs) 3 sets
• Box jumps - 6 to 8 jumps, 3 sets (speed and power)
• Squat jumps - 6 to 8 reps, 3 sets