Word of the Day: enantiodromia

enantiodromia (n)

The tendency of things to change into their opposites.

"The spiritual hairpin turns in the life of the satirist Tony Hendra are enantiodromia in action. As a teenager, for reasons involving guilt over an affair with another man’s wife, Hendra concluded that he should become a monk. But instead…he went to Oxford to read English literature."
--Bruce Grierson, U Turn

I have this ugly little plant, a type of orchid, that sits on the kitchen windowsill. It has dark, blade-like leaves and a lot of gnarled and twisted stems, but no flowers. I keep watering it, though, because I'm hopeful. I'm essentially hopeful that situations can change, if you can find the patience to wait long enough. Sure enough, it bloomed for a while last year. It became beautiful, but after a week or so, turned ugly again. I'm still watering it, though. I can wait.