Gwyneth Paltrow, the famous actress and lifestyle guru, has a knack for inventing her own phrases to describe life events. Her unique way of speaking sets her apart from the rest of us mere mortals. Remember when she referred to her divorce from Chris Martin as “conscious uncoupling”? Well, she’s at it again. In a recent interview with People, Paltrow introduced a new term to her ever-growing Gooptionary: free bird.

But don’t be mistaken, it’s not just a reference to the iconic Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Paltrow used this term to describe her current situation as she prepares to send her son, Moses, off to college (her daughter Apple is already a college sophomore). Instead of calling herself an empty nester, she prefers to think of herself as a “free bird”. Perhaps the kids are the free birds? Frankly, I’m a bit perplexed. However, I’m open to giving it a try. For instance, we could say, “Aunt Sally and Uncle Pat just started fostering puppies; they’ve got a lot more room in their house and time on their hands now that they’re…free birds.” Well, why not? But we should remember not to call her a nepo baby, as it may come across as mean.

Paltrow explained her motivation behind creating these new phrases, saying, “I’m trying to reframe it so that I can at least convince myself there’s some kind of silver lining. ‘Empty nest’ sounds so sad and lonely.” Ah, now it makes sense. She misses her children, and these new words help her cope with their absence. It reminds me of when Emma Watson introduced the term “self-partnered” to redefine being single. I can definitely relate.

In a recent interview with Glamour, Paltrow mentioned that as she gets older, she’s discovered the importance of recontextualizing aging. So, don’t be surprised if she comes up with more age-related terms in the future. Laugh lines might become “long dimples”, gray hairs could be referred to as “wisdom balayage”, and dark spots may be dubbed “time freckles”. If anyone can make us believe in these new phrases, it’s Gwyneth Paltrow.

So, let’s embrace Paltrow’s unique way of speaking and see where it takes us. Who knows, maybe we’ll find ourselves using these phrases in our daily conversations. After all, it’s never too late to add a little Gwyneth Paltrow flair to our lives.