Apricity

Apricity. Such a beautiful word, the way it rolls off the tongue, and yet your spell-checker will tell you it doesn’t exist… at least, not anymore.

Stemming from the Latin word apricus, meaning “exposed to the sun,” apricity describes that exhilarative energy we all experience on a clear, crisp day: the warmth of the sun in winter.

Imagine that: A single word that represents the simple and familiar feeling of sunshine on your face and briskness in the air. It says so much with so few letters, characterizing a very specific and wonderful element of human observation. It’s a word that reminds us to be where we are. To enjoy the moment.

And here I was last weekend, basking in the apricity of the Tushar Range in southwestern Utah, climbing 10,500 feet closer to the sun. The heat of the midday rays warmed my wind-chapped cheeks as I stood below Mount Holly. I could almost smell apricity. It invoked memories of my first bluebird day in the mountains, sitting in the sun with a hot cocoa after a powdery run down the face.

Apricity doesn’t appear every day, and because of that, it’s much more special when it does. Sometimes you don’t even realize when it’s happening. But when you do feel that hot gleaming sun cutting through a cold winter day, be still for a moment… and soak it all in.