tyro

ringing a bell here, but truthfully… uh, nope, nobody’s home

Definition of tyro:
n., ty·ro also ti·ro (tī'rō)

“One who is just starting to learn or do something: abecedarian, beginner, fledgling, freshman, greenhorn, initiate, neophyte, novice, novitiate, tenderfoot. Slang rookie.” [Medieval Latin t[ymacr]rō, squire, variant of Latin tīrō, recruit.] (answers.com).

Where I ran across it:
11/1/08 NYT article, “Who’s The Question Mark?,” by Maureen Dowd.

“…While acknowledging he was a tech tyro, he promised to try “a Google,” as he called searching the Web, to put government spending online so citizens could bird-dog it.…”

My two cents:
Tuesday can’t come soon enough. I just got an ugly robo call – on Sunday morning, people – tattling on Barack Obama’s aunt, of all things. I’m sure it won’t be the only one between now and Tuesday. Holy Mother of God. Make it stop.

What’s up with this tiny little word, tyro, that I should have never met its acquaintance in my entire life? I am now reminded that I am but a tyro, myself, in this whole business of words and language. But, hey, I’m not beating myself up over it. To paraphrase Jerry Clower, one can’t know everything that’s in every book in every library, can one?

I attended a lecture years ago where the speaker confessed to an outrageous fantasy. As a once-fledgling, hyper vigilant student of horticulture, she actually aspired to an ultimate goal of owning (not just learning the names of, but actually owning) one of every kind of plant there is. We all shook our heads and had a good laugh over that notion, but it stayed with me. “The Goal,” I decided that day, isn’t a stopping point at which we have acquired, or have done, or now know it all, is it? No, “The Goal,” I decided, is not a static destination, but a constant and vibrant process, a long and winding road of humble discovery, discernment, and continued enlightenment that never ends. It's a good and joyful thing, and it's up to me to walk it, or not.