What's Your "One Word"?

I don't know about you, but I have a favorite time of year. 

Now, mind you, winter can be beautiful, especially here in New York when we have pine trees and greenery laden with snow.  I have some spectacular pictures of our weeping pines hanging low with tons and tons of snow on their branches, and it just makes for very eery, yet clean and beautiful  scenery around our property. 

And then, of course, there is spring.  Spring just brings with it the promise of new life and warmer temperatures and a little bit of fragrance in the air because of all of the new buds that are coming up from the ground. 

Ahhhhh summer.  I love living on Long Island in the summer because I'm on an island.  I have a beach that's just a few minutes away from our home.  It's just a great time to get out into the warmer temperature and have the sun baking on our skin and put our toes in the sand and just enjoy some good outdoor activity. 

But I have to say that autumn, for me, is my most favorite time of the year. 

And one of the things I love about it is when, on a very cool fall day when the sun is just gloriously shining down on us, the air temperature is crisp and cool.  The air smells better to me.  It seems clean and fresh, and I love the fact that I can wear warm cozy clothing, I call it sweater weather.  I can be out in the sun, so I'm warm in one respect, but the cool air just feels so great against my skin. 

Now when I think of fall, I don't usually use that term.  I usually use the word "autumnal".  I know that sounds odd, but autumnal, for me, represents everything I love about the fall.  When I hear that word autumnal, what it represents to me, is my husband and I sitting by the fireplace, having a cup of tea, all warm and cozy; but yet, if we wanted to, we could just open a window or a door and have a swish of very chilled but crisp and clean air surround us but not so cold that we're quick frozen in the process.

Autumnal, to me, also represents amazing beauty - that gorgeous tapestry that happens, at least in our neck of the woods here in the Northeast, we enjoy the most spectacular colors of golds and burgundys and different shades of greens and oranges and bright, bright reds and deep, deep cranberries and purples.  I mean, some of these leaves are so beautiful, I can't even imagine how life would be without having the changing of colors.  To me, it's almost like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace - it just has to be!

And autumnal, to me, represents all that packaged together - the cold, crisp air; the warm sun; and the crispness of leaves as you're walking.  Autumnal represents to me a cozy feeling, a feeling of "Ahhh...I am relaxed.  I am enjoying myself.  I'm comfortable.  I'm just feeling great."

It's funny, I was talking the other day with a friend of mine, and we were talking about our favorite times of the year.  I said, "Oh, I'm an autumnal person."

And she said, "Autumnal?" 

And I told her the reason I love the word "autumnal" is because of what it represents to me.  This is what I think of.  I think of all of that imagery poured into that one small word. 

What about for each of us?  Is there one word that really represents who we are, what we do, how we live our lives, how we contribute to this world in our business, or our ministry, or our pet project?  Is there one word that describes it?  I have to say, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what mine could be.  I'm thinking if the autumn season, can be so well represented in one word, the word autumnal, why would it be that I can't even think of a word that really represents who I am, how I live my life, how I operate my business, how I contribute to this world?

There has to be a word that describes it, so that one word, when you say it, people will say, "Oh, yeah, that's Debbie".  Now, of course, they could say, "Oh, no, that's Debbie!" 

So is there just one word that just so adequately describes us - the core or the essence of who we are - that just makes perfectly good sense to everybody? 

Here's a challenge.  Maybe you could help me try to find out what my one word is.  Lord knows, I've been trying now for awhile - since I've had my autumnal discussion; but I haven't come up with it yet.  I bet you there is one word.  I just really need to look a little bit harder and a little bit deeper, and perhaps just check with some people who are on the other side of me.  So I'm checking with people like you, for example, if you've read my blog posts or heard some of my podcasts, or if you've participated in a workshop or a webinar that I've hosted, if you were at a book signing for my book, if you just know me personally from church, if we've had some business interaction, or just friendship...well, you tell me, is there a word that you think would describe me? 

And more importantly, is there a word that would describe YOU?  Is there a word that you really feel best represents who you are, what you do, and how you bring your gifts and strengths into this world.  Boy, I can't wait to hear from each of you, to hear what words you've come up with, while I continue to search for mine.

 

 

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Comments

[Josh]

This post really resonates with me (I actually wrote one eerily similar to this in October, I think). You go into much greater detail here than I did.

Autumnal - that's definitely my word as well. If you're interested, you can find my post here:

http://www.komodo85.com/2010/11/season-of-the-change-junkie/

If not, that's cool!

- Josh