photo by me

On this eve of the United States’ Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to do something a little different.

In the spirit of giving thanks for the bountiful life I have, I want to make a list of some of my favorite words and why they are important to me.

In no particular order:

  • love
    Why wouldn’t this be a favorite? When I think of the people in my life that I do love, I’m overcome with the absolute joy it brings me. And getting love back – especially from soft, cuddly kids – is enough to send me over the edge. There are so many levels of love but each one of them is important and treasured.
  • heart
    Sure, it’s a muscle. But the fact is that this word holds so much more connotation than we can ever guess. If I say that someone holds a piece of my heart, they don’t literally (I hope!). But what I mean when I say it and what they infer from that can be the beginnings of something beautiful.
  • friend
    I don’t use this word very often. Friends are few and far between. When I do, I mean it with all that I am. I treasure my friendships. They mean the world to me.
  • family
    I write enough about family for anyone to know how strongly I feel about my family. Some of my family members have been through all of the thick and thin in my life. I know how fortunate I am to have that.
  • eccentric
    It has been used against me as a derogatory term to say that I’m odd, strange, aloof, and undesirable. I like it, though. It means that I march to my own drum and that I don’t give in to the pressures of society. That can’t be all bad.
  • laugh/laughter
    It’s like music, especially coming from a child. There is nothing better than full on laughter and enjoyment.
  • peripatetic
    I just like the word. It’s a good word.

That’s it for today. For those of you who celebrate, a very happy Thanksgiving to you tomorrow.