Word of the Year

Fooey's got a friend here and they are playing so sweetly in the room next door. "Neighbour CJ" has joined them, too. I'm supervising by ear.

This week I've gotten a bit more writing time; but not enough, and it's painful to leave chapters mid-telling, with the over-arching narrative hanging there too, just scribbled notes left for myself, for later, which hopefully I'll be able to interpret. My printing is appalling, a cross between failed cursive script and all-out scrawl, with idiosyncratic short-form thrown in for good measure. Spent one walk to school, post-writing-stint, struggling to delineate and then sear into my memory a series of plot changes and character developments. One kind mentor once told me that the writing will wait for me; mostly I agree and am comforted by that thought, but sometimes I wonder what gets lost. Nothing brilliant; just unique to that moment.

A friend and I have chosen a "word of the year." We each chose our own, and will focus and reflect on that word for the full year, checking in periodically to evaluate and discuss. I'm excited about this project because it feels manageable--one word! And I love words. And it has the potential to anchor me in a variety of situations. The word I've chosen is "imagine." Or its variation "imagination." I wanted an active word related to potential change and growth and movement, because my life feels very rooted already, and I want to challenge myself to question and be flexible and aware of the possibilities even within a grounded, locally-lived life. I'm also someone who likes to dream, whether or not these dreams come to fruition, but as a way of exploring and adventuring. And I hope the word will be a reminder that there are always alternative solutions to even the most insignificant conflict, if something isn't working.