I love words.
I love those words from other cultures and languages that hold an exact meaning so rich and so deep that they paint a magical portrait in your mind as you fine-tune your accent and carve your way around their pronunciation.
I like exploring the origin of words and dissecting their anatomy in an attempt to extract their intended meaning, to use them properly to clearly convey meaning and sometimes in the process infer meaning of my own.
One of my favourite groups of words is the ‘re-’ group – a whole group which is indicative of repetitive actions.
Reword. Rework. Realign. Recreation. And at this time of year, everyone’s favourite re- word… resolution.
Let’s break this one down… re-solution.
re-: a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or “backward” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion: regenerate; refurbish; retype; retrace; revert.
and
solution: a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.
Seems like we didn’t solve that problem the first time eh?!
So as we busy ourselves re-solving the various hurdles and obstacles which 2017 presented us, let’s make sure that we are also looking somewhat critically at the solutions that we have previously proposed. What worked? What lead to the problem not being solved (or not remaining solved) or the obstacle not surmounted on our last attempt(s)? Let’s not whimsically embark down the same pathway and expect a different outcome (that’s toying with some description of “insanity”).
You may want to revisit an old solution. Reflect on its success or failure. Rework it a bit, maybe even rejig it. Recreate it.
Not recycling, but upcycling. Not resolving, but presolving.
I wish you all nothing but the best for 2018. May your days be filled with playful reflection, kindred connection, personal reinvention and the pursuit of rewarding direction.
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