I subscribe to a newsletter called The Art of Noticing that includes a Dictionary of Missing Words—basically, descriptions of feelings, situations, or happenings that don’t quite have a good word to describe them (at least in English, at least for now, and at least to the author, who is presumably choosing entries that he can’t think of a good word for).
An example, taken from a past edition of the newsletter: “When I'm walking on a straight path and see people ahead of me, there is a moment when I can't tell if they are walking toward or away from me. I'd like to name this brief moment when I am utterly unsure of their direction.” Relatability level here is 10/10.
Anyway, I’m in a cafe/bookstore doing schoolwork and whenever I need a break I just wander the bookshelves and say “wow, that looks interesting” to myself many (many!) times. My list of “I’ve gotta read that” has gotten a little out of control.
I need a word for the feeling of being surrounded by so many books that you know you would probably love but realistically will not read because you can only read so many books in your lifetime (thanks again, Tim Urban!). It’s kind of “overwhelm”, but not totally because you feel really inspired and excited about all these books around you… but at the same time you think “wow, SO many books have been published by SO many people on SO many things.” It’s a sadness that you won’t get to them all but an appreciation for the incredibly diverse ideas permeating each of the pages—all written by individuals who were inspired by countless other individuals (or non-individuals).
Suggestions are welcome!