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| Image by Sharon Brogan via Creative Commons |
I have long given up making resolutions.
Instead, I choose a Word of the Year.
I like how malleable a word can be over the course of a year.
This year, I am choosing BREATH(E). Yes, I put parentheses around the final letter to create a two-for-one word:
breath and breathe: noun and verb.
I like the verb breathe because the form is a command. "Breathe!" invites me to stop, live in the moment, relax, and to take an inventory.
When I breath, I create a pause between stimulus and response.
Breathing helps me to slow pulse, slow my blood pressure, slow down my speech, slow down my physical activity, and slow down my thought process.
I like the noun breath because it is associated with spirit or the divine force. In Hebrew, God breathes life into Adam. The same word (ruak or RUE-AWK) is translated as not only as breath but also as wind and spirit.
Spirit. Inspiration. Respiration. Breath(e).
In the gospel of John, Jesus appears to the disciples in a locked room and says, "Peace be unto you." Then he breathes on them and says, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22).
That is some powerful use for breath!
Here's to a year dedicated to slowing down and reflecting.
Related:
Word of the Year for 2022: Smaller
Word of the Year for 2021: Witness
Word(s) of the Year for 2020: Humility and Compassion
(I cannot find a post about my 2019 WOTY)
Word of the Year for 2018: Grounded
I think that is the perfect word for this year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by the blog and commenting, Carol! My yoga teacher yesterday spent a lot of time talking about breathing and taking "breathe deeply breaks" in the middle of a day. I realize that it's more probable that a yoga teacher would bring this up, but I was still thinking, "Hey! That's my Word of the Year!"
DeleteI'm not a fan of country music, but I just love the Faith Hill song, Breathe, this post reminds me of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, Karen. Oh, I love country music, but I haven't listened to "Breathe" for a while. Thank you for jogging my memory. (All my car presets are CW music, and I have a Spotify playlist I've titled "Country music excels in storytelling and puns.") I grew up on SoCal in a tract home neighborhood akin to the ET movie's neighborhood, but I summered in Utah on my g'pas farm/ranch where my cousins listened to the Oak Ridge Boys, Barbara Mandrell, Alabama and such. CW music is part of my favorite memories of childhood, nature, and family.) I'm heading to Spotify now to add that Faith Hill song!!!
DeleteI love that word too, another way to say 'relax' and 'get still'. It's also my watchword this year.
ReplyDeleteAll my best to you, Laurie, for your quest to breathe (be still and relax). Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Be well!
DeleteBreathe. I love this word and this idea. It gives one...pause.
ReplyDeleteMy word for the year? Clear. Clear vision. Clear water. Clear skies. Clear thinking.
Oh, clear is a solid choice for Word of the Year!
DeleteI'm with you. I do not make resolutions but set intentions and pick a world of the year. Mine for 2023 is "centered." Breathe is such a good one.
ReplyDeleteI like your word (s), breath(e), they are so important. To me they are reminders to pause and to relax and breathe slowly.
ReplyDelete