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I never took a shorthand class, but I developed a shorthand that helped me take notes during those many years when I was a student: basic things like bc for “because,” w/ for “with,” 4 for “for,” Am for “American.”

As a literature teacher, the great works I perennially taught were abbreviated in my plan book as GG (Great Gatsby), CT (Canterbury Tales), MB (Macbeth), NS (Native Son), and GM (Glass Menagerie), to new name a few.

Acronyms ran (and still run) rampant in the teaching profession. Some struck terror; for me they were TPAI (Teacher Performance Assessment Instrument), NCLB (No Child Left Behind), and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress).

And then came emails and texting, and a whole new dictionary of abbreviations and acronyms sprang to life. It seemed natural to incorporate ASAP, FYI, and N/A into work emails. But I was loathe to abbreviate anything in texts for the longest time. After all, I am known as English Teacher and Grammar Police. I had to capitalize and punctuate correctly in my texts. I would use complete sentences. I would without fail proofread. I would not be caught disrespecting the English language in any way.

Then the acronyms insidiously worked their way in. First was LOL. Then it was OMG. That was all for a while.

As of now I can also admit to not only texting but also sometimes saying things like JK (Just Kidding), BRB (Be Right Back), IDK (I Don’t Know), TMI (Too Much Information), BTW (By The Way), and SMH (Shaking My Head). I have even texted TY instead of “Thank You” and sent some messages without periods at the end. I am falling down on my self-appointed job of preserving proper communication.

However, the real reason I write today is to examine a family of acronyms that has me fascinated and a bit worried. I call these the O-O words. The first one that gained popularity was FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). I suffered from this as a young woman though it didn’t have a name then. If there was a party, I went to it, even though as an introvert I probably didn’t have a great time and couldn’t wait to go home. If there was a popular movie, I saw it. If there was a hit record, I bought it. I might not have enjoyed the movie, and I may have played the record only once or twice, but at least I was “in the know.”

Other worrisome O-O’s have joined the clan. There is YOLO (You Only Live Once), which might make someone throw every bit of common sense, propriety, and self-preservation out the window. There is FOBO (Fear of Better Options), which might cause someone to be entirely unable to commit to something good because there could be something greener on the other side of that fence in the distance. And there is FOFO (Fear of Finding Out), which might cause someone to avoid going to the doctor or ignoring whispers about someone close to them. It’s the “ignorance is bliss” syndrome.

But back to FOMO. I’m at the point in my life where I’m learning to embrace another acronym I’ve learned recently: JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out). I have become more of a homebody than ever. If a social event doesn’t sound like fun to me or if a committee sounds like drudgery, I am able to Just Say No. I’m trying to spend less time on social media and reading/watching the news. Often, the stress to be found in those activities outweighs the information provided. I’ll read the books I want to read, and not books I think I should read. But I’ll continue to nourish relationships that are important to me and find experiences that enrich my soul, body, and mind.

Can I hold to this philosophy? IDK. BRB. TY. LOL.