Having Kittens, Full of Beans

One of my favorite British expressions is "having kittens". This means being edgy, worked up, agitated, and I suppose most equivalent to the more well-known expression "cat on a hot tin roof".

Another favorite British expression of mine is "full of beans". If I remember -- and I am starting to forget -- I think most Americans would use this phrase with a child to say they are being silly. Whereas in the U.K. it means, full of energy, excited and animated.

I bring up these two expressions because I believe the English language is in dire need of a new word -- or perhaps a new expression altogether. Because don't you think that a common state of human emotion is a combination of these two?

My most recent news is that I'm going to be changing roles at work. I am staying within the same company, but mind you, I've been working in my division for nine years now, with a lot of the same people for all that time. And overall I've been very happy doing what I've been doing and working with some really amazing folks.

But I need a change. And I am genuinely excited about the new opportunity. So I guess you could say that I am full of beans. But I am also having kittens.

And it's very often that these two emotions go together -- I suppose in the sometimes used "nervous excitement". Ask anyone who's about to have a new baby how they're feeling and they usually say something like: Excited! And terrified!

People, let's come up with a new word. I feel like this is an emotional state that gets shortchanged in the English language. We need to recognize this frenzied state as a legitimate one that we have to deal with over and over again in our lives. Because, although it's a cliche, it's true: the only constant is change.

The only ones I could come up with were terrible:

• Excitified (excited + terrified)
• Edgivated (edgy + elevated)

Maybe my lovely readers can think of something better. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to live with saying I'm nervously excited. Or full of beans, but having kittens.

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