Words...That's it ... Just Words

We have some of the best conversations at our lunch table.  One teacher walked by and said, "It's always so enjoyable to walk past your table and just get the snippets of what you guys might be talking about.  Always entertaining!"  That it is!

So this week, we talked about words. How there are just some words that drive you crazy.  Some words that you can just do without hearing for the rest of your life.  Some that just inspire, or make you feel giggly. Some words that are just plain fun.

Like spelunking. Doesn't that sound like fun?  "Hey boss, can I have a day off to go spelunking?"  Sounds like a great day off. Or how about doppleganger? 

But then there are words you cringe every time you hear them. One of my lunch buddies doesn't like the word phlegm.  Right?  Even the way it's spelled. Kinda makes you feel phelgmy just spelling it.  Or how about mucus? Ewwwww!  Another says she doesn't like the word bulbous.  I guess I can see that. Kinda makes you think of a big ol' nose, Karl Malden style.

Photo courtesy CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Here's one...cutlet  Not sure how that one made the "don't like" list, cuz I just think it's a cute word. Kinda petite-ish. But one of the girls doesn't like it.

A few years ago, I wrote another post about words.  These were not words that necessarily create pictures in your mind, but will definitely elicit some sort of feelings as you read the words.

All of this sure makes you think about the power of words, doesn't it?  About the times we say things that might be meant one way but are taken another?  About how you may say to a kid, "quit your crying" but all they hear is, "I don't want to hear what you have to say."  Or how there can be a national debate on whether certain lives matter or whether all lives matter.  Yep, words are powerful...and fun...and gross.  But definitely powerful.

Hope I gave you some powerful thought today.  Go out and make someone's day with a kind word!

One Little Word for 2015

You may be familiar with Ali Edwards' One Little Word that was started back in 2007 and has grown exponentially in popularity. For the last two years, I did not choose a word since beginning this OLW journey in 2009.  Nothing showed up. Nothing spoke to me. And I just wasn't in the frame of mind to find one.

And 2014 was an odd year!  2014 brought lots of changes in my life. (I guess CHANGE would have been a good OLW, in retrospect). But those changes have made me realize what I want for 2015.

My word for 2015 is CREATE.  This time, the word chose me. 

According to Merriam Webster:   

cre·ate verb\krē-ˈāt\

: to make or produce (something) 

: to cause (something new) to exist

: to cause (a particular situation) to exist

: to produce (something new, such as a work of art) y using your talents and imagination

I want to create a healthy lifestyle, a garden that offers me that healthy lifestyle, a healthy home, simple living, art, abundance, open spaces,  laughter, joy, memories.  I want to write more. I intend to write more. That includes more blogging. And more pictures. 

I looked back at some of my old posts and it reminded me what I was involved with over the last couple of years. I really think so much of it lead me to this one little word, create!! And as I create in 2015, I intend to share.

It's funny, as I write the word intend, it makes me wonder how committed actions are behind that word. One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Yoda:  "Do or Do Not.  There is no Try."  And I sometimes wonder whether the word "intend" is best friends with "try."  If that's the case, then I'm changing it to WILL. I WILL write more.  I WILL share more.

But as usual, I digress.

And what about you?  Do you have a word that will guide you, inspire you in the new year? I'd love to hear about it. Not only what your word is, but why that word!

I wish my visitors a peaceful, prosperous, safe, and successful 2015.  And I leave you with this:

jpg from http://yelenabosovik.com
(can't read the photographer's name)

One Little Word for 2012

Many of my regular followers are familiar with Ali Edward's One Little Word.  She suggests you identify one word that can be your guiding light for the year.  Similar to a new year's resolution, but different in that it leaves things open for whatever might add to your life experience.  As Ali E says, it "...can be a powerful thing.  It can be a ripple in a pond that changes everything.  It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."  Sometimes the word picks you instead of you picking the word.

This is the fourth year I've identified a word that I would be my mantra for the year. My words have been Simplify (2011), Serenity (2010), and Gratitude (2009). 

For 2012, my word is  

Truth

1.  sincerity in action, character and utterance

2.  conformity with fact or reality; verity

3.  a verified or indiputable fact, principle, proposition or the like

And it chose me.  As I was driving.  Talking to myself.  Asking questions about others' actions and then I turned it around and asked about my own actions.  And I realized that what I need in my life right now is for me to be honest with myself.  I need to take ownership of things for which I previously blamed (oh, how I dislike that word) others. 

I need to discover and embrace the truth about my relationships.  About weight loss.  About exercise.  About healthy eating.  About homemaking.  About time management. 

I need to be truthful with myself.  And I will not allow myself to believe what Jack Nicholson says...

Oh, yes I can.  Oh, yes I will.  I can't say this will be easy.  I'm a little anxious on moving forward with this.  But I see that as a good thing.  Being anxious heightens awareness.  And then...

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. 

The point is to discover them - Galileo

And so the journey begins. 

I'd love to know if you have a word for 2012.  Feel free to share in the comments or to post a link to your blog.  C'mon...what's YOUR word?

2010 Word of the Year Review

 Hard to believe it's been a year since I selected my Word of the Year.   Inspired by Ali Edwards, and nudged by my friend Leanne, I began this Word of the Year journey in 2009.  Ali E. says it like this: "A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow...One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities." Tangible, intangible, feeling, thought, emotion.  It can be any of those.

 

Charm by Lisa Leonard Design

 My first word was Gratitude.  That word and the gift of a word charm from Leanne helped make it a gratitude-filled year.  What's nice is that this word had such an impact on my life, that I literally saw a shift in how I look at things, how I react to things.  HUGE impact!

Found at a little out of the
way place in Arkansas

My 2010 word is Serenity.  I had a much more difficult time searching for serenity in my life this year.  Mostly because I didn't focus on the word as I should have.  Oh, there were spurts.  And how wonderful those were.  But overall, not so successful with increasing the serenity in my life.  

So here we are, just a few steps away from entering 2011.  It seems like only a couple years ago that we went thru the Y2K craziness.  It's now time for me to choose my 2011 Word of the Year.  I've got it and will share it with you before we wrap up 2010.

So what will your One Little Word for 2011 be? 

3 Words I Love

Leslie from Words of Me Project inspired her followers to join her in a 31 Day Challenge to write, create, be.  Her day 2 challenge was to choose three words that you love and create some word art with them.  My three words were Serenity, Gratitude and Dream. 
I decided to work just a little out of my comfort zone in creating the word art.  I used paints.  Not sure at all that I'm comfortable with them yet.  But this is the wall hanging I've completed. 

It will hang in my "Craft Cave" and serve as a reminder to me of what's really important.  Just saying these words can de-stress me.  So, what words de-stress you???

A Reunion, of Sorts

Today, I ran into a former high school classmate.  (We graduated many, many years ago, so CLEARLY we have changed). Actually, it wasn't even "running into" her.  Linda is a friend of my coworker and she stopped in to see my coworker.   But the minute I saw her, I flashed back to gym class.  I could see us both in class in those stupid blue one piece uniforms. 

It wasn't until after she left the office, that I came to this realization.  You see, I wasn't popular in high school. I wasn't part of the "in" crowd.  But Linda was able to be friends with both the popular crowd and the unpopular crowd.  The reason I remembered Linda as soon as I saw her was because, way back then, she was kind to me even though I wasn't in the popular crowd.

It made me think of one of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou:  "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."  Thank you, Linda, for making me feel a little better about myself way back when!!

Added:  Do you like words?  And do you like stamps??  Check out the giveaway at The English Geek.  She's giving away a Close to the Heart stamp set to celebrate her new BPS class "Textuality" that starts next week. 

My 2010 Word

My word for 2010 came to me about a month ago. It's funny how when you decide on the word, you actually see/hear it often. You "own" your word. You actually say to yourself, "Hey, that's my word" when you hear or see it.

My word is SERENITY.

se-REN-i-ty

1. The state or quality of being serene, unruffled, tranquil.

2. Clearness, brightness.

So, what is it about SERENITY that makes it my word, you ask. Okay, so maybe you didn't ask, but as long as you're still reading, I'm assuming you're a little curious.

In 2008, I was involved with a mindfulness program as part of my wellness journey after breast cancer.  One of the things we learned in the program was meditation.  Although it wasn't an easy thing to learn (and I certainly haven't mastered it), I persisted and learned that there is an amazingly tranquil feeling you get when you meditate.  You can feel so rested without having slept.  I crave that tranquility in my life right now. 

I want to handle things in my life without getting flustered.  I know I'm better at that than I was a few years ago, but I want more of that.  I want to walk through my somewhat organized home and feel the tranquility.  I want to feel the goodness all around me and I know when you come from serenity, it's much easier to do.  I want to find the serenity in photography.  I know I've made a start, but I want more of it.  I want to feel the strength you feel when you are tranquil.

I thought about whether I wanted to have the word PEACE for my 2010 word (which is what my blog buddy Leanne had as her word of the year in 2008).  But SERENITY speaks to me as "peace within" if that makes any sense.  And I firmly believe that when you work on the peace within, you actuate peace all around. 

I have two dear friends who are also posting their Word for the Year today.  Please visit Leanne's blog and Cindi's blog for their words and what their thoughts are behind their choice.  And as I mentioned in yesterday's post, the original idea came from Ali Edwards.  You can read about her words here. 

I challenge you to come up with your word for the new year.  Make it something that inspires you.  Make it something that nags you, nudges you, tickles you.  Make it something that fills you with passion.  Just know that something as simple as a single word can have a huge impact on your life. 

What's the Word, Hummingbird???

2010 is fast approaching and as many of us do, we reflect on:

• where the heck did the year go?? (yes, Virginia, it does speed up as you get older)
• what did I accomplish this year (besides getting up in the morning and making a cup of tea)?
• did I make it a good year?
• what are my goals (a.k.a. resolutions) for the coming year?

Adding to that, might I humbly suggest you consider finding your word for 2010?

Early in my blogging career (y'like that??), I posted my thoughts about my 2009 word (which came about through my friend, Leanne).  She got the idea of the word for the year from a blog post by Ali Edwards (a.k.a. scrapbooker extraordinaire). Ali says, "a single word can be a powerful thing. It can be a ripple in a pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow." Take a minute to think about that statement alone. Have you ever heard a word, a single word that has an immediate effect on you? Either good or bad?? If so, you understand the power of a single word. I say, why not let the power of a single word work to your advantage? Why not let that single word have the power to focus you on what's most important to you in 2010?

This, my dear friends, is not an impossible mission. This, my dear friends, can actually have a cleansing effect.

So your mission, should you decide to accept it, would be to think of words that express what you want in or out of your life in 2010. But before you decide on THE word, sit on it for a day or two. As Ali says, "let it percolate a bit". Even if the words that pop into your head make no sense at the moment, don't toss them out right away. Write them down and ask yourself what they might mean to you. (You gotta give your subconsciousness some play time, y'know!!)

Need more inspiration? Visit Ali's blog post that lists links to all her previous Word of the Year posts.

My word??? I'll let you know tomorrow!  I've been blabbering on too much already.  Until then...enjoy your brainstorming.

The Power of the Little Words

This week, there were a number of instances where I gave some heavy thought to the power that even little words have in our lives.  A girl I work with gave me a list or rather, MANIFESTO, of things that are just good for people to live by.  After I read the list (and there are some VERY good items that I'll likely blog about later), I started thinking about the word "manifesto".  I always felt the word was extremely strong, but that it had a negative connotation.  I don't know why but I'm sure it had something to do with what I learned when I was in school.  To be honest, I think I associated it with communism.  But it's not a negative word.  It's a public declaration of one's intentions, motives or views.  I LOVE the strength that I feel from this word. 

Here's another one...while watching the season premiere of "House" (one where I was a bit skeptical that they could show two hours of him in a psych ward but it was done to perfection), he uttered two words from the heart.  Two words that should be in everyone's vocabulary.  Two words that should only be used when coming from the heart, but at the same time be quickly on the lips.  Those two words...."I'm sorry".  Say it with meaning, folks.  I'm sorry.  There's no weakness there.  Not when it comes from the heart. 

And one more word that I always give thought to...one I've used here today.  This one is probably a bit more controversial.  The word is "should".  Somehow, I can't get away from the fact that the word "should" is judgmental.  I've had discussions with people about how it is often used to teach kids what is expected of them.  But isn't that a judgment call?  Seriously, we all have different thoughts on how we raise our kids, so telling our kids what they should or shouldn't do might be different from one family to the next.  Try to listen for how many times someone says the word "should" and really think about whether it is a judgment on their part.  It's no wonder you hear "why?" from the little ones when we tell them what they should do.

Okay, so enough of the food for thought.  I'm sorry, but I should be going.  I've got plenty of things on my to-do list today (just can't seem to fit the word manifesto in there!!). 

Have a happy Sunday!