"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!"
This marks my 4th year (or maybe it is 5 now, I've lost track) participating in Ali Edward's "one little word". I've been trying to decide on my word for a couple weeks now and nothing was speaking to me, but yesterday "shine" came to me and I knew it was right! So there you have it, my one little word for 2012 is shine.
Here is how the New Oxford American dictionary defines shine.
shine |SHīn|
verb ( past and past participle shone |SHōn| or shined ) [ no obj. ]
1. (of the sun or another source of light) give out a bright light: the sun shone through the window.
- glow or be bright with reflected light: I could see his eyes shining in the light of the fire.
- [ with obj. ] direct (a flashlight or other light) somewhere in order to see something in the dark: an usher shines his flashlight into the boy's faces.
- (of a person's eyes) be bright with the expression of a particular emotion:his eyes shone with excitement.
2. be very talented or perform very well: she shines at comedy.
3. ( past shined ) [ with obj. ] make (an object made of leather, metal, or wood) bright by rubbing it; polish: his shoes were shined to perfection.
I like how each meaning of the word applies to something I have been contemplating for myself in the year 2012. This is my interpretation of the word:
1. Be bright and reflective...be a shining example to others with a positive attitude and actions; take time to reflect on the day to day activities.
2. Be very talented or perform very well...I want to step it up a notch, professionally, as a wife/mom/friend and with my personal endeavors. I want everything I do to "shine". Anything worth doing is worth doing well, right?! Yes!
3. Make bright by rubbing it...well, generally speaking, my house is clean, but it could use a little shining (and de-cluttering too).
I love welcoming a New Year, it is like having a new beginning and I'm excited about the possibilities of my one little word...shine bright and Happy New Year!
