Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. This week, because this is the first issue for January, my focus is on the 2-faced ancient Roman god Janus who gave us this month’s name, and the multiple meanings of “Janus-faced.” It can refer to someone or something that’s seemingly contradictory – which is the source of this week’s quiz. But the Latin definition of Jānus means he was also known as a god of gateways, doorways, transitions, and beginnings, which seems perfect for the first month of a new year.

I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.
The Quirky Quote
One of my favorites as the New Year begins:
Laughter is carbonated holiness. ~ Anne LaMott
The Quirky Facts
As the god of transitions, Janus was perhaps the inspiration for some of ancient Rome’s numerous “gateways” (often huge arches without gates) used for ceremonial entrances and exits, especially for the army. It suits my desire to frame this first issue of the year as a new beginning, but in general, I am less interested in Janus as a god of gateways and doorways, except to point out that all denominations of euro currency feature them on one side to symbolize the European spirit of openness and cooperation. That’s a worthy goal and a nice touch.
I AM interested in the god’s two faces.
The Quirky Observations
A recent rereading of Bill Bryson’s 1995 book Notes from a Small Island about his (mostly walking) trek across the United Kingdom got me started on my 2-faced ruminations. He loves almost everything British, but a book based on “It was lovely” would be crushingly dull, so he has no compunction about describing his room, when he made a poor choice for a hotel, as “cold and cheerless . . with grubbily matted carpet and those mysterious ceiling stains that bring to mind a neglected corpse in the room above.”
That brought to mind Anne LaMott who is fearless in revealing her flaws in the midst of high-minded pronouncements like this: “Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet.” She revels in the messiness of life: “I think we're all pretty crazy on this bus. I'm not sure I know anyone who's got all the dots on his or her dice.” But, she notes, “. . . the reason life works at all is that not everyone in your tribe is nuts on the same day.” She is devoted to her family “no matter how annoying or gross they may be, no matter how self-inflicted their suffering may appear, no matter how afflicted they are with ignorance, prejudice or nose hairs.”
Everyone, it seems, is a dichotomy. The many “In Memorium” tributes to famous people who died last year almost always contained opposites, describing people as both consequential and controversial. Even people widely admired were often “beleaguered.”

So as this new year begins, my advice is that while becoming a better person is always a worthy goal, “Don’t be so hard on yourself” is, too. You are enough and sometimes quite magnificent.
The Shameless Request
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The Questions
  • In what ways are you 2-faced? What are the ways in which you are a dichotomy? Or many things?
  • Do you have a mantra against negative self-talk? Share it.
The quiz – Words That Are Their Own Opposites
Contronyms, also known as Janus-faced words, are words with two definitions that are polar opposites. For example, ”a great deal” can mean a bargain (50% off those shoes is a great deal) or expensive (That car costs a great deal of money). Below are 12 Janus-faced words, one for each month of the new year, and 12 opposing definitions. Can you match them? Answers are at the end of this document with sample sentences to show why they cause confusion. English is weird.
  1. Buckle
  2. Clip
  3. Critical
  4. Dust
  5. Finished
  6. Left
  7. Out
  8. Oversight
  9. Sanction
  10. Screen
  11. Trim
  12. Wind Up
a. Completed or destroyed
b. Departed or remained behind
c. Opposed or essential to
d. Start or end
e. To add or to take away
f. To boycott or to approve
g. To cover or to remove
h. To fasten together or to bend or collapse from pressure
i. To fasten or to detach
j. To hide or to show
k. Visible or invisible
l. Watchful, responsible care or a mistake made due to forgetfulness or poor supervision
The Resources
Answers to the Quiz
1.   Buckle = To fasten together or to bend or collapse from pressure, He liked his fancy new belt buckle. The shed roof buckled from the weight of the snow and ice.
2.   Clip = To fasten or to detach (with shears) He clipped each set of papers with color-coded paperclips. He had his hair clipped short by the barber.
3.   Critical = Opposed or essential to. He was critical of her performance. She was critical to our success on the project.
4.   Dust = To cover or remove. He dusted the crops. She dusted the furniture.
5.   Finished = Completed or destroyed. He was relieved when he finished the project. He knew when he injured his leg that the football season was finished for him.
6.   Left = Departed or remained behind. She left on the 9:00 a.m. flight. After the party, there were only two cookies left.
7.   Out = Visible or invisible. The stars are out. The lights are out.
8.   Oversight = Watchful, responsible care or a mistake made due to forgetfulness or poor supervision. She was chair of the oversight committee. The spelling error in the manuscript was an oversight.
9.   Sanction = To censure or to approve. The government imposed sanctions on the Russians. The NFL sanctioned the playoffs between the two teams.
10.     Screen = To hide or to show. We put up a screen of bushes to give us privacy from the neighbors. The new movie will be screened Friday.
11.     Trim = To add or to take away. The committee trimmed the gym beautifully for the prom. I don’t want to really shorten my hair, but it could use a trim.
12.     Wind up = Start or end. Once a week he winds up the grandfather clock. It’s 5:30 – time to wind up this discussion and go home.
My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. You can access previous issues here. I welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com)