St Petersburg Fireworks – courtesy of TBO
ab in·i·ti·o [ahb i-nit-ee-oh; English ab i-nish-ee-oh] adverb Latin: from the beginning.
It seems this year, a fresh kind of New Year’s Resolutions are taking America by storm, one word resolutions. If I am to believe the mass media, gone are the days of making lists and promises. This apparently is according to all the people who claim to know me better than I know myself. Or, perhaps they are people just too lazy to make a list. They are saying if I make a list of things I want to change or do this year, I will have little chance of accomplishing anything at all. However, if my New Year’s Resolution is just one word, then my life is going to change dramatically. Forever! Lists are now officially passé. And yes, someone has already written a bestselling book about this. Now, I have to articulate here, I do find some irony in the fact there is a 192 page book with the purpose of telling me all I need is one word. I think we could have saved a few trees here… just saying.
My friend told me on January 1st, when he woke up, he thought his word should be flatulence. Well, not being one to rock the boat (get it? sailing blog – rock the boat – groan), I too felt compelled to have my own one word. So, here we are in 2014. Cream Puff is pulling patiently on her mooring lines itching to be set loose for destinations unknown. This is the year we untie Cream Puff and begin our adventure. Perhaps sail should be my word. But now that I think about it, it’s not so much the sailing as it is the adventure. Perhaps adventure should be my word. Or, maybe travel. Oh dear, this is harder than I thought. I knew I should have read the book. OMG! It’s January 3, 2014, my life hasn’t changed yet. If I am to accomplish anything at all this year, I must have a word, darn it. Hmmm, I wonder if there is a Cliff Notes version.
Finally, I decided on my one word. I would really like to say I had a cool epiphany about it, but I’d be lying. My word is a simple ideology. Each year in my own attempts to be a better person, I have tried harder and harder to appreciate the pure power of this word. My word is: love.
