Kerfuffle

Its my turn! No way!

I’m right. No you’re not, I am.

Its a kerfuffle!

Kerfuffle. Isn’t that a fine word? Kerfuffle. A lovely rhythm, a nice mix of hard and soft sounds. Its a relatively new word for me. I don’t recall hearing it prior to starting a training in 1998. My course was in Canada, about an hour north of Toronto. Our group of trainees was mostly Canadians and Americans, with a few Europeans also in the mix. A couple of my Canadian classmates used the word and I was enchanted.

Such a good word, and its quite evocative of what it describes. We had all manner of kerfuffles in our training, not surprising given a diverse group of mostly midlife students who in general had plenty of experience being successful independent adults now doing a years-long training program. As the lead faculty members had to say more than once, “This is not a democracy. Yes, your input is heard, and this is what we, the faculty, expect of you.” Well, hmmph, grumble, grumble.

Life went on, I finished my training, which has been useful, and I’ve also continued to use kerfuffle, which shares a soft spot in my heart with Canada and its people.

In response to today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt of Kerfuffle.