Personally, I don’t see how we can survive these days without the Land of Ish.
I mean, think about it. You’re due in a meeting at work at a certain time, say nine o’clock. You did everything you should have done to be there on time – got up early, out the door on time, filled your gas tank the night before.
What you didn’t do is inherit a magic wand to control all the elements of life. Things like a sick child. The traffic flow. The weather.
You arrive at your meeting at 9:16. The boss looks at her watch when you enter. She nods. You give her a thumbs up.
Why? Because you arrived at 9-ish!
Another scenario: It was all fun and games to talk about your age for the first thirty or so years of your life. Now, pushing forty (or fifty, or *horrors* sixty+), you wonder if the promotion you’re panting after will go to someone younger. What about a part in a play or a chance to sing or to give a speech?
Will the powers that be choose you over your younger counterparts?
You certainly don’t look or feel your age. In fact, you’re downright ridiculously youthful. Is it your fault the world lusts after youth and beauty? Of course not!
When it comes time to spill the beans about your age (providing no one knows already), will you 1) tell the truth right out, and the results be hanged, or 2) bestow upon the inquirer a glorious smile and a shrug and say, oh, 30-ish, or 40-ish, or . . . well, you get the picture.
It’s not a lie.
It’s the Land of Ish at your service!
Ish serves us in other ways, too. Chech out these remarks:
Don’t bother to go to that restaurant. It’s too cheap-ish.
My blind date was freak-ish.
I can’t join a group of such child-ish people.
My husband’s boy-ish smile gives me stomach flutters.
She wasn’t at all standoff-ish.
He got the job because he seemed the least amateur-ish.
Your kid was fever-ish this morning, too?
My new car is kind of blue-ish.
Whew! The Land of Ish is a busy place!
Ish is a descriptive suffix that:
- makes comrades of strangers,
- knits friends tighter, and
- gives all of us something to nod our heads about in agreement.
I’m not suggesting the Land of Ish should run for president or anything, but it might make a good senator.
After all, it’s not priggish, squeamish or mulish.
It’s simply stylish!
Hooray for the Land of Ish!
I love to hear from you!
Jodi Lea Stewart is the author of a contemporary trilogy set in the Navajo Nation and two historical adventure-mysteries. More are on the way!
Trouble sneaks in one Oklahoma afternoon in 1934 like an oily twister. A beloved neighbor is murdered, and a single piece of evidence sends the sheriff to arrest a black man Biddy, a sharecropper’s daughter, knows is innocent. Hauntingly terrifying sounds seeping from the woods lead Biddy into even deeper mysteries and despair and finally into the shocking truths of that fateful summer.
“Beyond the humor and entertaining antics of the main character, Biddy Woodson, BLACKBERRY ROAD has depth and meaning as it explores stirring universal themes that we expect in great literature” ~ D.B. Jackson, acclaimed Historical and Western author
BLACKBERRY ROAD is engaging, entertaining, and a book that is sure to linger with you . . . the trip is well worth the time ~ Cyrus Webb, Host of ConversationsLIVE, president of Conversations Radio Network, tv show host, author, and publicist
AN ADVENTURE-MYSTERY TRILOGY YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS! SILKI, THE GIRL OF MANY SCARVES trilogy has no age limits.
COMING IN SEPTEMBER:
THE ACCIDENTAL ROAD
A teen and her mother escaping an abusive husband tumble into the epicenter of crime peddlers invading Arizona and Nevada in the 1950s. Stranded hundreds of miles from their planned destination of Las Vegas, they land in a dusty town full of ghosts and tales, treachery and corruption. Avoiding disaster is tricky, especially as it leads Kat into a fevered quest for things as simple as home and trust. Danger lurks everywhere, leading her to wonder if she and her mother really did take The Accidental Road of life, or if it’s the exact right road to all they ever hoped for.
Jodi Lea Stewart was born in Texas to an “Okie” mom and a Texan dad. Her younger years were spent in Texas and Oklahoma; hence, she knows all 
about biscuits and gravy, blackberry picking, chiggers, and snipe hunting. At the age of eight, she moved to a large cattle ranch in the White Mountains of Arizona. Later, she left her studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson to move to San Francisco, where she learned about peace, love, and exactly what she DIDN’T want to do with her life. Since then, Jodi graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Business Management, raised three children, worked as an electro-mechanical drafter, penned humor columns for a college periodical, wrote regional Western articles, and served as managing editor of a Fortune 500 corporate newsletter. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, her delightful 90+year-old mother, a crazy Standard poodle named Jazz, a rescue cat, and numerous gigantic, bossy houseplants.
Just for fun . . .
This Big Country isn’t nearly as interesting as The Land of Ish!
What a great post! I was laughing and nodding my head the entire time. And your book sounds great – I DO love the Southwest and quirky characters that make you laugh out loud, so I am on my way to check it out now!
Oh, duh. It was already on my wish list…I should be able to purchase it next week. 🙂
April, you crack me up! You are transparent in all the right places.I think you’ll really like Silki (my protagonist). She’s a little dust devil, for sure. Thanks for visiting!
I think I live in the land of ish! At least…I visit frequently. 🙂
It’s a great vacation spot, Laird. Bring the whole family!
I want to move there, too! I’m totally comfortable with approximations and would love to be surrounded by the same sort of people.
Good post!
Glad to find a fellow “ish-ite,” Erica!
Wonderful post Jodi! I’d love to visit the land of Ish.
Our plane leaves at 5 p.m. today. Get packed!
Bahahaha … Not only do I love this post, but realize that if I ever attempt to take the “ish” out of my own lingo, I’ll actually be speechless! I’m a big “ish-er.” It’s so often the perfect fit, and allows me to keep things flexible when necessary (aka, A LOT!).
Barbara, I’d never arrive at any destination if not for “ish!” Just ask the good folks at my beauty salon, doctors’ offices, dentist, etc. But heck, I think ish takes some of the bitter out of life’s pressure pills. So glad to know a fellow “ish-er.” Ish right back here soon, okay?
What a great post! And so true!
Thanks, Linda.
I ALSO LIKED YOUR ISH. IT DOES SO SUIT YOU, AND WHO WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN YOUR MOTHER? HA!!
So nice of you to drop by, Mom! You’re right…no one knows what suits me more than my own mother. Now get off here and make us a pie! Lol! Come back soon!
Great post! My mother had to have been a charter member of the land of ish! Unfortunately, I inherited her ish-ability, much to the frustration of my husband. Just downloaded your book – it sounds delightful and I’m looking forward to reading it.
“Ish-ability”… I like that! I’m excited that you’re reading my novel. I know you’ll love Silki; she’s a little pistol.
Gave me a whole ‘nother perspective on ‘ish. So in the dating world we can say “he’s Mr. Right-ish.”
Hopefully, Mona. That’s better than Mr. Big Fat Wrong-ish! Thanks for stopping by.
I can’t help wondering if the Spanish-speaking neighbor to the Land of Ish is El Pais del MaÑana… 😉
Yes, Danzier. It’s right across the island from El Pais del MaÑana. How did you know? 😀 Come back often!
LOVED this post! Today hasn’t been a good one and this was just the laugh I needed. Thanks for reminding me to treat myself to a little ish every now and then.