March 24 Word-love Word of the Day: Flourish
I am one of those people who started naming a
theme each year more than ten years ago.
It has become quite the thing in the last few years, to claim and live “one word” throughout the year. I believe in this concept, even though in the past I have usually forgotten all my grand intentions sometime in early May.
This year, my theme of the year is Growth. I haven’t been consistent with sub-themes each month like I have done in the past, but I am now inspired to focus on a “Word of the Day”.
It all started when I was talking to a friend today who has been particularly stressed out lately and having a difficult time sleeping.
I said,
“While you are trying to go to sleep, chant a word silently in your mind: you know a word like ‘peace’ or some other word that has a positive meaning for you.”
I don’t know if he’ll do it, but I was reminded of the power of words and my ever flaming passion for words, so I thought, “Perhaps I’ll try a word of the day for… a week… and see how it goes.”
Today, my Word-Love of the day is FLOURISH.
What does the word FLOURISH mean?
One way to define flourish is to grow luxuriantly, extravagantly, abundantly. Another is to achieve success or to be in a state of activity or production.
Have you reached a height of development or influence? If you have, you have flourished.
Naturally I think about productions of Shakespeare, which use flourish as a way of acting on stage: gesturing boldly or extravagantly as well as costuming: excess adornment and embellishment or finally, the sound of a horn to announce the arrival of someone important may be referred to by saying, “enter right after the queen’s flourish” meaning a fancy play of a horn, like an exclamation point via the ethers.
For extra word-love fun, three quotes for reflection:
"For evil to flourish, it only requires good people to do nothing.”
Simon Wiesenthal
"Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.”
William Blake
"Virtue can only flourish among equals.”
Mary Wollstonecraft
How will you flourish in your everyday life today?
I will report in tomorrow when I post my first Monday Word-Love of the Day.
Please stay in touch:
Follow me on Twitter: @JulieJordanScotBe sure to "Like" WritingCampwithJJS on Facebook. (Thank you!)
Follow on Instagram
And naturally, on Pinterest, too!
© 2013 by Julie Jordan Scott
