Whenever the Word Prompt e-mail request comes in from The Jewish Press, I immediately clear my mind so it’s a blank slate, then peek at the word, and I free associate.
With this particular prompt, I imagine that other Word Prompters who might prepare themselves similarly would free associate completely differently. It’s a homophone for all kinds of things.
A passionate music fan might have read it as Bose, for obvious passionate music fan reasons.
A person with Lag B’Omer on the brain would have read it as in bows and arrows.
A mariner/fisherperson/sailor would have interpreted the word as the front ends of ships.
A ye olde sports fan would have it as the plural of Bo Jackson, perhaps.
A martial arts aficionado would understand it as the plural of the staff used in self-defense.
But me? Well, perhaps because I just turned 50, what immediately came to mind is something I have yet to master: tying a bow on my shoes. I never graduated from the kiddy way of doing it. And when my own kids ever spot me tying my shoes, they look at me like I’m still 40 years away from turning 50.
Which is why I wear slip-ons, forever.
Happy birthday to me!
