My word for 2010

Last updated on: January 3, 2010 at 3:03 pm by Melissa Hill

My word for 2010 2010-01-03T15:03:00-04:00 Melissa Hill

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Instead of a resolution, this year I’m choosing a word to inspire and help focus me for the next year. I got the idea from Leah over at Creative Every Day, who has chosen the word Flow. I love the idea of going deep into a word, really embracing a concept and exploring it fully. It always amazes me how much inspiration and guidance you can find in small things. A word, a rock, a moment watching the wind and the snow dance. These are the kind of things that catch and hold me the most.

So once I decided I wanted a word, I had to go searching for it, in crannies and nooks. What one word could sum up what I wanted for this year, what I need to grow and thrive? I thought of my dreams of swans flying upward and thought maybe my word was Fly? But when I thought that word I saw flies buzzing around a lamp and thought, “No, that’s not my word”.

So then I thought maybe Uprising might be my word. Uprising… up-rising… rising up like a swan. I would rise up above my insecurities and fears, my dark moods. But that seemed to assume that darkness was bad, something I wanted to get away from. I’ve always been of the opinion that without the dark there is no depth, no enfolding deeps, no refuge. So I though maybe Uplifting, or maybe Upwelling instead? That felt closer. My word was near now, hiding in the shadows, around a corner maybe, or under the desk where I never dust. I consulted thesaurus.com and found that another word for Uplifting was Cheer. That wasn’t right, but under Cheer’s definition there she was.

She vibrated in my mind, and I clicked the link to see what was hidden there.

Definition: encourage, provoke Synonyms:

abet, activate, actuate, agitate, animate,arouse, coax, craze, drive, egg on, encourage,excite, exhort, fan the fire, foment, force,forward, further, get to, goad, impel, induce, inflame, influence, inspire, inspirit, instigate,juice*, key up, motivate, persuade, prick,promote, prompt, provoke, psych, push, put up to, raise, rouse, set, set off, solicit, spur,stimulate, stir up, talk into, taunt, trigger, urge, whip up, work up

Yes! This is exactly what I wanted, I need to incite myself! I found you now you sneaky thing, under some old worn out yellowing words. Words like safety and intimidated.

I brushed away words like frightening and apathy and I’ve found you. This year Incite and I will be traveling together, packing our leather luggage with bits of paper and brightly colored silk. Who knows where we’ll end up. I’m sure however, that I’ll enjoy the ride.

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