Slice of Life Tuesday: One Little Word, 2020.

This morning I spent a little time investigating possibilities for choosing my one little word for this year. Although I have never done this before, the idea intrigues me. I am a self-proclaimed lover of words and believe in the power of well-chosen and extensive vocabulary.

My friend and fellow blogger wrote on this subject recently, and that also got me thinking about the concept of choosing one little word and how it could help direct the next year of my life.  She used a short survey to help guide her choice and I was curious to see what word I would be given if I did the same. The word I got was GATHER. Hmmm?  This does not really fit me. At all. I typically do not gather anything (well, maybe seeds) and really have no intention of starting. Last year I was in a formal position that involved gathering (of people) and I truly did not enjoy it at all. I must admit  I went into the survey being very skeptical so I probably would not have liked any word it gave me. If I really stretched it, I could make gather fit, but since my gut instinct told me it was not the right choice, I let it slide.  The survey is here if you are still looking for a word and want to give it a try.

For my Silent Sunday post this week I used the word NEW. I considered this for my OLW for 2020.  Both my husband and I are now retired. My last child will graduate from high school in May. We chose to visit a place we had never been before for a short vacation next month. And, I am launching a new resource website to assist our local communities with environmental education. My husband bought me NEW name tags to wear during some upcoming presentations.  There might be a lot said for the word NEW. I am considering it more seriously than I thought possible. It is such a simple word that packs a lot of punch!

But, a few minutes ago, after taking the above survey, I decided to see what else I could find out about this one little word phenomenon.  Simply Googling “choosing one little word” gave me many posts on the subject. Naturally, I chose the one at the top of the search by Ali Edwards Design.  I have to admit that at first I was turned off, as it seemed to be just a money-making scheme offering both a class and a kit for purchase after choosing one little word.  But, it did catch my eye that this blogger had been choosing a word for a great length of time – over ten years!  Little did I know where I had just visited! If you read the blog links in this post, you will find out!

But, I moved on. My next stop was this blog – found on page three of my search results. Don’t ask why I clicked on this particular one. I am not really sure other than I saw the word, CULTIVATE! It caught my eye! Yes!  This is a word I could use! It fits me in so many ways.

For example:

• I want to cultivate new ways of being for myself by putting some of my needs in a position of priority at least some of the time.
• Along those lines, I want to cultivate assertiveness and authority in myself.
• Cultivating a new venture, soon to start, is part of my plan for early this year.
• I want to cultivate an area behind our barn, in the traditional sense of the word, to be a restored prairie patch this year.
• Cultivating the minds of our local youth and planting the seed of environmental stewardship is a personal priority for me.
• I want to be a part of cultivating community awareness of climate change and citizen science locally.
• And, I want to continue to cultivate milkweed for monarchs.

It fits! How do I know? I know by the excitement seeing the word generated in me at the most basic level. With my long history of being a gardener, I think of cultivate as a word that means to grow and nurture.  I will use it to guide my growth personally and with others, as well as literally in my garden beds. It is a more complex word than NEW, which I considered earlier. My 2020 one little word is CULTIVATE.

Today is Slice of Life Tuesday. This is a forum for writers interested in connecting with others offered by TwoWritingTeachers.org blog. I have been participating in their supportive community for almost three years.