I thought I had picked out One Word for the year. Standing around the flickering candles of the Yule tree last evening (secretly beaming because the children have memorized all the words of our 12-day Yuletide ritual), my One Word seemed obvious: LIGHT. There was my trademark quick decision, done and dusted. (This is how I found myself married the first time.)
LIGHT is a lovely word, especially powerful at this dark time of year, with many meanings in several parts of speech, and it seemed to capture the direction I need to keep going in: a lighter grip, a lighter touch, a light heart and as much light as possible shining into my pupils (puntended).
By bedtime, though, I'd stepped back into a more practical place and realized that LIGHT was perhaps not as active a word as I need--and it certainly wasn't so pertinent to my writing life, which is where I need to put particular attention. And I thought about how a lighter grip, how an infusion of light into the work, are what's required for good revision, whether of writing or of hasty decisions. Other requirements for revision include patience, resting and flexibility--all areas where I could grow generally, and where my writing could benefit from less product and more persistence. And so--in the very spirit of revision--I changed my One Word to REVISE.
Just to make sure I was on the right track, I Googled the word and found a definition which includes LIGHT--two for the price of one!
re·vise rəˈvīz/ verb
I shared this decision with my spouse, who noodled alongside me, wondering about revision, envision and several other word choices, while I listened to myself do what I always do: "Just stop with the possibilities-- I've made my choice and I'm sticking with it! No time to consider anything else! Got to get on with it!" The irony is exquisite... and I reserve the right to change my mind about my One Word should the light of further evidence require it.1.reconsider and alter (something) in the light of further evidence.
synonyms: reconsider, review, re-examine, reassess, re-evaluate, reappraise, rethink
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One Word 2015
held and holding tight:
getting a grip
becomes a vice
time and again re-vise:
letting the light
in more than twice
HM 2015
all rights reserved
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The Poetry Friday Round-up is with Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Happy New Year--and New Words--to all!
So amazing, Congrats!
2009 - the year of the sharbear and puppy