We have arrived at the final day of 2020. What a year. I hope you have enjoyed my word of the day for these final days of 2020. I will keep them on the website through January.
Happy New Year!
Leitmotif
a recurrent musical theme or melody associated with a specific person or idea used throughout a musical or literary composition
Well, fitting I would end with a musical term, but the idea of creating my own theme for myself (musical or not) appealed to my sense of renewal for the new year. What will be your leitmotif in 2021?
Zeal
great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective
Hopefully we will emerge from this strange, unimaginable (in our time) year with an urgency to join in a reconstruction of our country, our world and our lives.
Fortitude
courage in pain or adversity
Enough said.
Collective
A cooperative enterprise; forming a whole
Our desire to be individuals oftentimes clashes with the idea of the “collective”but thankfully we had individuals band together with their accumulated knowledge to find a vaccine for Covid.
Ephemeral
Temporary, lasting a very short time.
Yes, that big picture. We are here on this planet a very short time. Knowing this, a chance to dig deep and live fully.
Epiphany
an intuitive grasp of reality through something like an event; illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.
You may think this a bit early for this word as it is primarily associated with January 6th, but I chose the secondary definition that fits with what has been happening in our world. Many facets of our society have been illuminated, revealing things long ignored that are in great need of being recognized and attended to.
Stillness
Absence of stillness or sound.
I prefer not to define this word by absence but rather for what it contains. A motionless, soundless state in which much can be revealed about ourselves. May this time of year usher in regular moments of stillness in our lives.
Cacaphony
dissonance; incongruous or chaotic mixture
Generally used in reference to sound, I think of it as a way to describe our society. All the dissonant parts that sometimes add richness and othertimes, distract us from our best selves.
Synergy
interaction or cooperation of 2 or more organizations, substances or other agents that produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their parts.
We must tap into this notion to bring about great things! It is already happening. Vaccines produced in record time, social issues brought to the fore, personal stories having an impact. It carries with it the promise of enormous energy for good.
Plasticity
capable of being molded, having the power to shape; pliable.
Life needs to have plasticity so that it will not rupture and send us all scrambling. In order to sculpt our world together we need to be pliable, allowing changes and adaptations as we move forward.
Permutate
to arrange items in a different sequence; to cause something to undergo a transformation, an alteration.
Pretty loaded word as it turns out. Our lives, our society, our culture, our world in need of a transformation. To re-order priorities bringing about an altered and transformed existence for all
Concretion
the act or process of becoming substantial; coalescence; anything that is made real, tangible.
A new word for me (I started perusing the dictionary in search of more unfamiliar words), I admit I cherry picked the definition from the several available that attracted my attention. Many thoughts went through my head: to make oneself essential, to come together with others to chart a better way, to filtering out the truth.
Elastic (elasticity)
capable of returning to its original shape after being stretched; flexible, adaptable, resilient, buoyant.
While these 2 definitions may seem conflicting, being able to get back to the best of what was while being adaptable to new ways of thinking and doing can potentially bring about the best of both the old (original) and new.
Incubate
maintain favorable conditions promoting development (for the purpose of hatching)
Working in parallel with the previous word of the day, incubation is an ongoing process already producing great ideas while other creations are developing in individual and group incubators around the world. I am looking forward to more great, amazing, unbelievable magna opera being unleashed from their incubations!
Unleash
let loose; release from a restraint
So the flip side of the worst of the pandemic is the creative, innovative ideas that have been unleashed whether via the arts, shopping services, telemedicine. Less pollution from fewer cars on the road. And old habits seemed forgotten- people taking to the streets to walk, bicycle or carol! Let’s hope the frustration and weariness that have accumulated during Covid, can unlease potential new ways of thinking and doing.
Essential
absolutely necessary; extremely important.
Well, we have all become familiar with the concept of essentialness during COVID. What services fall into that category and who decides? But on a personal level, what is essential to each of us, how will this COVID experience influence our decisions about what is important and necessary for us to live our fullest life?
Resonance
the quality in a sound of being deep, full and reverberating; the reinforcement from a surface or synchronous vibration of a neighboring object.
As an acoustical singer, I am very familiar with the first definition. Outside of my singing, the idea that a deep and full life can reverberate outward, sending out positive vibrations that will sync with others and the earth.
Essense
intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something that determines its character
Going back to the entry of revelation, I have to admit that one of the advantages of having more time to attend to, in some ways, forced me to come to terms with what I value and how those values will inform my life. In other words, to dig down to my “essense” and find ways to bring that core to the surface to effect my everyday living.
Brilliance
intense brightness or light; vividness of color
Another favorite word for me. In order to manage all of the conflicting and contrary matter that gets thrown at all of us, intensity of courage, strength, and wisdom will invite brilliance and light into our lives and permeate the world around us.
Poignant
evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
Although my frustration and irritation over changes I had to make in my life because of Covid have somewhat waned, I am still a little poignant about the loss of parts of that life that are gone and will not return or return unrecognizably. However, even though there is some sadness, I have not experienced regret. I feel tremendously grateful for where I have arrived in my life and am thankful that I have gained insight into myself and what I value most highly.
Invincible
too powerful to be defeated or overcome; impregnable, indomitable
While I do not strive to be invincible, the idea that I can build my resilience to combat the many adverse, antagonistic elements that enter into my personal sphere motivates me to forge ahead each day with vibrancy!
Revelation
a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.
I don’t know about others, but I have experienced some interesting revelations about myself during this time of “I can’t believe this is happening”. And yes, some were surprises, but on reflection not so unknown as maybe tamped down and relegated to the bottom of the pile of my thoughts.
Vibrancy
state of being full of energy and life; striking brightness of color
Love this – again, refining my life to rid myself of “unwanted elements”, makes room for energy and brightness.
Refinement
process of removing impurities or unwanted elements from a substance; clarification of something by making small changes
This pacts a wallop for me. I actually chose all these daily words before looking up the real dictionary definition so when I saw this one, it hit me squarely between the eyes. Removing “unwanted elements” from my life is a constant, especially as I get older and lose patience with wasted time and energy. It indeed, clarifies my values and priorities.
Homage
reverence or respect paid or rendered;
In this time of incivility and disrespect shown for others unlike ourselves or with differing opinions, I am focusing on the “respect paid” aspect of this word and for it to be “rendered”so we can hopefully begin to heal the many tears in our social fabric, among our friends, within our families and ourselves.
Marinate
to soak fish, meat or other food in a marinade before cooking in order to flavor or soften it
While a term used mostly in reference to cooking, there seems to me a multiple of other ways to metaphorically make use of this word. Anyone you want to marinate?
Integral
necessary to make a whole complete; essential, fundamental.
This word packed with simple but at the same time complex concepts. Though generally used in mathematics, I see it as one single element of the basic foundation of humanity that together with other integrals, creates a full, whole person and an “ennobled” world.
Nonlinear
not straighforward, random
I must confess I chose specific words from this definition because of my own penchant for a“random-sporatic” mode of accomplishing things. But I also like it because it makes room for unexpected results and surprise joys. (As a side, the vocal track is a nonlinear filter for the sound from your vocal folds-great ice breaker)
Ennoble
to lend greater dignity of character
We should work to guarantee to all the opportunity to become “ennobled.
Electric
charged with or producing electricity, or a sudden sense of thrilling excitement
These two meanings are parallel for me. If you experiencing an electric moment, you are creating your own energy charge whether it be emotional, physical or cognitive. The results can be altering.
Resilience
the ability to spring back into shape; capacity to recover from difficulties
I decided to lead with the spring back definition even though it was listed second. I really am attracted to the idea of rebounding vs recovering. It gives me a sense of self-propelled action, as opposed to a waiting for recovery to occur.
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