Word!!

by Kassandra Lamb on behalf of the whole gang!

When my son was in his early teens (circa 1993), he and his friends would greet each other with this 4-letter utterance: “Word!” It stood for “What’s the word?” or What’s happening?”

There seems to be a growing trend this year to substitute a single word for New Year’s resolutions. This struck our fancy here at misterio press. So here are our Words (sometimes we’ve cheated a tiny bit with two words) for 2015!

First up, K.B. Owen:

My word for 2015: EMBRACE.

EMBRACE the satisfaction of the little accomplishments, such as resolving that plot twist that’s been plaguing my story.
EMBRACE hard work, because that either serves others or gets me to my own goals.
EMBRACE experimentation and risk, for that is how I grow.
EMBRACE setbacks and failures, so that I can learn from them.
EMBRACE quietness, always a challenge for me and my busy mind.
EMBRACE joy, for there are problems enough in this troubled world.
EMBRACE gratitude, for I am very blessed, even when I’m not mindful of it.
EMBRACE friendship, for we are all in this crazy life together!

Following up on the Embrace theme is Vinnie Hansen:

For my word, I’m going with “Ridiculous” or “Embrace ridiculousness.”

The thought that I will appear ridiculous impedes my risk taking. I should ask, “So what?”

Most people delight in the ridiculous, especially if the person being ridiculous embraces it unabashedly.

 

On first blush, Shannon Esposito’s word(s) may seem the exact opposite of Embrace, but not really:

My phrase is LET GO… of goals and plans, and instead enjoy every day as it unfolds.

This may seem counterproductive but I’ve spent my whole life believing I’ll be happy as soon as I reach (insert any personal or professional goal). But I move on to the next goal, without stopping to appreciate where I am or the journey it took to get there.

LET GO of wishing things were different and just deal with things as they are.
LET GO of physical things and unclutter my life.
LET GO of being a perfectionist and allow myself to be messy, wrong and a risk-taker.
And finally LET GO of worry. It has not served me and is getting a 2015 eviction notice!

And now my word: CHOICE.

Before I retired and got into this writing stuff, I was really good at asking myself what I WANTED to do on my days off. I savored the ability to choose amongst the many tasks/activities I could be doing. “What do I want to do now?” was something I asked myself off and on throughout my non-working days.

When I first retired, I reveled in the ability to make those choices every day. But once I got serious about my writing somehow I lost that habit of stopping to choose what I want to do next. And along with that lost habit, I have lost some of my joy in living. So I’m going to focus in 2015 on remembering to make choices again.

Each day I will ask myself “What do I want to do today?” I’m pretty sure most days the answer will be “Write!” But I’m going to get back in the habit of making the Choice.

 

And now on behalf of our 5th author, Kirsten Weiss, who is traveling in developing nations at the moment, doing her “day job” (with sketchy internet service), we will pick a temporary word: SAFE.

Safe travels, Kirsten! We miss you!

How about you? What’s your Word(s) for 2015?

We blog here at misterio press once (sometimes twice) a week, usually on Tuesdays. Sometimes we talk about serious topics, and sometimes we just have some fun.

Please follow us so you don’t miss out on any of the interesting stuff, or the fun! (We do not lend, sell nor otherwise bend, spindle or mutilate followers’ e-mail addresses. 🙂 )