Do you Coddiwomple?
I bet you do without realising!
The word Coddiwomple (pronounced Kod-ee-wom-pul) is said to be an old English slang verb and it means “To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague or unknown destination.”
It’s very popular with people who love to travel, I see it a lot on boats and campervans! It’s also a very popular hashtag on Social Media and the posts never fail to make me smile.
I first came across this wonderful word when I was visiting friends and family in Australia back in 2015/2016 and a friend shared it with me and said “Wendy, this is just so You!”
My parents had both passed away from cancer in 2012 and I was looking for a new purpose in life. This trip was a traditional coddiwomple consisting of travel and exciting adventures, but I have since come to realise that I coddiwomple all the time in all aspects of my life and I strongly believe that it’s something everyone does.
I “became” The Coddiwomple Lady in 2018, when I attended a womens’ business network meeting to drum up support for my book “From Cancer To Coddiwomple” before it was published in 2019. I began to introduce myself as Wendy and a lady exclaimed, “ah-haaa, so you’re the coddiwomple lady! I’ve heard about you!” And it stuck! Coddiwomple has become my Word now, so much so that my friends take photos of boats, cafes, campervans or wherever they see the word coddiwomple and share them with me; I love it when people do that!
We all head off on a path towards vague destinations in life (not really knowing what they are or what they look like), whether they be in our professional lives, our personal lives, or spiritually. Sometimes those paths twist and turn, taking us down dead-ends which can leave us feeling a little lost and discombobulated (another of my favourite words!)
But we have no choice but to head forwards: we can’t turn the clocks back or go back in time; forwards is the only way to go, towards that vague unknown destination. This can feel like a minefield if we’ve been through difficult times, but it is possible to navigate these new paths through selfcare and learning to accept what we can’t change so that we can live joyful, fulfilled lives. This is especially true with grief and don’t get me started on coddiwompling through the menopause!
My coddiwomple now is to encourage and inspire you to dare to dream and head off purposefully towards your own unknown destination. I haven’t a clue where the path will take me, it twists and turns as I try new things and experiences. Some things work and some things don’t and that’s OK as long as I keep heading forward. The most important thing is that it brings me joy and I absolutely love what I do.
Life is a constant coddiwomple, and it’s fun and exciting if you’re willing to open up to a world of discovery. What will you discover?
If you would like to coddiwomple with me then please join me on Instagram and Facebook where I share my coddiwomple musings and observations. I’d really love to hear about your coddiwomples too!
Wendy x