I feel like I chose the wrong One Little Word this year. I’ve grappled with it since I decided. What is the purpose of a One Little Word? Is it a guide or an affirmation? Should you pursue it or let it comfort you?
Every day I choose a quote-of-the-day to post on a Jamboard for my students to write a response to. Lately, I’ve allowed the students themselves to take over this routine. I have a few quote books that they use. We select a photo background and use the text box or sticky note feature to write in. One of the quotes this week was this one. Avalyn chose a background to this Mark Twain quote that was both day and night. It made me think about my OLW: Purpose.
I decided to play around with an acrostic form using Purpose. And this poem emerged:
Until you
Realize
Purpose is
One
Step at a time
Every day.
Voila! Poetry led me to the answer I had been searching for all along. Life is a journey. There is no destination. It’s a constant discovery day by day. I cannot choose a word like Purpose and magically feel satisfied with myself. It is a word that I will search for the rest of my life. Unlike Mark Twain’s idea that there is a day when you will discover why you were born, I’ve come to the realization that why you were born is a daily march. It’s what we do. And every once in a while, someone or something will knock you off the path and that’s when you need a different word: Grace.
These days I need Grace more than Purpose. I need to let myself feel what I feel, but not get attached to those feelings. Not let the feelings define me. I received this message from EnneaThought of the Day:
Remember that your cognitive error is to identify with your changing feelings and emotional states, especially negative ones. Since your feelings constantly change, your identity does as well, undermining many of your psychological needs. Notice this tendency in your thinking today.
EnneaThought of the Day,
I’m going to keep Purpose around for a little while longer. It’s only February, but I’m hoping to relax a little and let time do the telling. Maybe another more appropriate, more calming word will emerge.
Reflections on the Teche 
Love the inspiring quote board you and your students are creating, what an intriguing project! And I like your,
“One
Step at a time
Every day.”
Appreciations for all Margaret!
This: “why you were born is a daily march. It’s what we do.” YES! Dig deep into the word PURPOSE. Put it into a word generator and see what you might come up with for an “In One Word” poem. There are some fascinating possibilities inside purpose: rue (you are doing this), sure and pure, ropes and supper.
Your acrostic says so much, Margaret. Thanks for the reminder not to get too attached to feelings or let them define us. I needed to hear that.
It’s a hide and seek game…you’ll go looking, then it will start finding you. I love how your acrostic answers a deep question. Poetry Rx for sure.
You are wise in your path, Margaret. I like your poem very much… yes, it is a day by day prayer journey. I wish you peace in each step.
Love how you’re having students learn that words can help us think, just as you are writing here about your word, processing what it means to you, and perhaps it will vary more than once a day or day by day. It feels great to me that you’re taking care of yourself by thinking about it and how or if it’s helping you. Yes, “one step at a time”.
That’s a neat acrostic, Margaret. During the summer here, the lifeguards at the town beach always post a quote of the day along with the water temps, and I always check for it. I bet your students enjoy it too.
Margaret, your reflection is powerful because you are trying to find meaning one day at a time. You are so good about sharing your thoughts with your students and helping them to explore their feelings. Breathe in the word purpose and see where it takes you. Perhaps, it will add more word friends to clarify its purpose for being close to you.
Margaret, your post is so meaningful to me…Long ago I tried to choose “one word” this year, never having tried it before. And although I did choose “deep”, I’ve let it go, because one word doesn’t match how I’ve continued to create and discover the self I want to be over the years. Your desire to “let time do the telling” is wise…time and self-awareness are wonderful guides.
Thank you for the wisdom in your poem and post. I needed to hear this today.
Perhaps “purpose” as OLW isn’t about discovering a life’s purpose, but rather infusing each day with meaning – relying of course, on grace.
I really enjoyed this reflection on a word that didn’t feel like it was working, and the live changing of perspective that your writing brought you to. I need someone to remind me what my cognitive error is! Let me know how I sign up.