Aboulomania
An "A" Entry for The A-Z of Unusual Words Challenge
Aboulomania: great indecision and an inability to, or difficulty in, making any kind of choice in a person's daily life
My Connection: While I do not have the clinical disorder of aboulomania, I am notorious among friends and family for my "decision exhaustion". This state typically sets in after a long day of teaching during which so many decisions were made from great to minimal importance and every level in between. Once the exhaustion sets in I am nearly incapable of making the smallest decisions. What to eat for dinner? What to watch on TV? Whether or not to walk the dog? Which Vocal story to read? I just can't.
My Acrostic Poem:
Another question and I’m here once more,
Back to a crossroads of crucial choices,
One where two roads diverge, as Frost would say.
Under a glow filtered through golden leaves,
Lurk the shadows cast by uncertainties.
Openness to the possibilities
Means exposing vulnerabilities
And there's no way to know where each path weaves,
Never a sign to point out the best way.
I sit and wait for discerning voices
As I ponder some, then ponder some more…
Author's Note: This piece was created for Penny Fuller's The A-Z of Unusual Words Challenge. Check out the details in the story linked below.
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
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The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
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More stories from D.K. Shepard and writers in Poets and other communities.
Let's Don't Do This
"I just can't do this anymore..." "Do what?" What can't you do? Put gas in your own car? I swear to God you make me take care of everything, don't you? You know I'm on my way to work right now but that never stops you from bothering me, does it?"
By Shirley Belk6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (34)
This word really hit home for me. I solve it by flipping a coin and abiding by the coin's decision. I have a family member who this does not solve at all, since they will question the coins decision and flip it again.
Nice!
i love this piece
Congratulations on your 🏆 win 🏅🤗… well deserved ✅.
Really, really good DK. I didn't know you taught! But I hear you on the exhaustion of deciding after making about a thousand decisions in the classroom. I call it choice paralysis too- when you have so many that it's overwhelming. "crossroads of crucial choices, One where two roads diverge, as Frost would say. Under a glow filtered through golden leaves"- absolutely loved this bit. I haven't read many of these acrostics for this particular challenge, but this feels like it's going to be right in contention!
I can relate to this!
I love your way of conveying a sense of comfort in the unknowns. Louisville, KY. My step-parent was from little ole Russellville. Looeyvulle they said. Excellent acrostic!
Ooh, what a nice surprise! Rich! I love learning new words. And the definition symptoms look uncannily familiar...*YIKES*
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
yay there be justice! congrats on Top Story!
Last line is too easily relatable!! More and more frequently, I am just overwhelmed with decision making. What a great piece :) Congrats on TS!
This was absolutely awesome and well done. Congratulations on the Top Story, too!
Congratulations on your top story
back to say congrats on a top story
Yay!! Back to say congrats on Top Story DK!!! 🎉
Congrats on the TS.
Fabulous entry and loved it!!!❤️❤️💕
Artfully arranged and of course, we can all identify with a mind wrestling with what Kierkegaard called "the dizziness of freedom," i.e., anxiety in the midst of alternatives, no one of which seems ideal.
Wow!🤩 Impressive… as always!✅ My mother always said I’d never go crazy because I change my mind too often 😵💫. I’ll have to check this challenge out 🧐.
I relate to this so much, lol. I can be extremely paralyzed by indecision. It is not a fun experience! I love how you ended this. Ripe for another loop of questions! Beautiful acrostic. 💜
Absolutely wonderful poem, D.K.! Also, I learned a new word and I relate to the teaching decision making sooo much!
Good one D.K.! My wife can definitely relate to this one, as she is also a teacher and comes come feeling just like this
DK I love this and relate sooooo much with it!! Beautiful work!!
This is brilliant!! Beautiful language that captures the experience so well...love the perfectly woven-in reference to Frost, too. I very much relate; I'm told that as a child I once cried over having too many options of ice cream flavors....
Omgggg, this was soooo relatable! I'm not always like that but when I'm exhausted, I just can't, lol. I loveeeeee that word and your poem so much!