Words

Hangout – Def: a place where someone or a particular group spends a lot of time

Who do you hangout with? Where do you hangout? When you leave those you hangout with, do you feel better or worse? Do the people you hangout with encourage you? Who we hangout with is important because we quickly assimilate the values and language of the people we hangout with. Think of it this way. You’re making a cake for a special occasion. How will the cake turnout if you use inferior or wrong ingredients? It’s the same way with us. Those we hangout with will lift us or drag us down. Here’s hoping everyone you hangout with lifts your spirits and encourages you.

Truckload – Def: the amount of something that can be carried by a truck

Here’s hoping opportunities knock on your door by the truckload.

Here’s hoping you have truckloads of trusted friends.

Here’s hoping good news arrives at your home by the truckload.

Here’s hoping you carry love by the truckload.

Here’s hoping all the good things life has to offer flow to you and those you love by the truckload.

Intuition – Def: (knowledge from) an ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts

Have you ever been introduced to someone, shook hands, and instantly knew you couldn’t trust this person? I have. That’s our intuition protecting us. Is our intuition infallible? No, but we’d be foolish not to pay attention to it. I recall randomly reading an article about a topic related to my academic research. Halfway through I had a flash of intuition telling me to abandon the research path I was on and embrace a new path that had a steep learning curve. It made all the difference for me. When intuition knocks, open the door, listen to it, ignore it at your own risk.

Real – Def: things as they really are, not as they exist in the imagination, in a story, on the internet, etc.

I like smiles that are real. I like folks who wear their emotions on their sleeves. I like folks who understand the ups and downs of life because they’ve lived them. These kinds of folks are real. Life has smoothed their rough edges. They have nothing to hide, they are who they are, nothing more, nothing less. It’s not easy to be real in a world that seems to reward a facsimile of what is real. Becoming real is a life process. It can’t be bought, or taught. It happens the day one can look in the mirror and love what they see. They love the scars, joys, loves and lost loves. They know the journey they’ve traveled taught them more than any university could teach. Here’s hoping your journey has made you real.

Work – Def: an activity, such as a job, that a person uses physical or mental effort to do, usually for money.

Work is a creative activity providing us with an identity, dignity, and self-worth. When we meet a new person, the question soon asked is, “What do you do?” We define ourselves in terms of our work. When we work, we become co-creators with those who are working with us. All work is valuable since it is an act of creation. When we value our work, we understand our role in the creative process. When employers value employees they see them as essential to the employer’s business. The employee feels wanted. When the employee sees the employee as a piece of capital, the employer degrades the sacred nature of work and strips the employee of his/her dignity. Whatever you do, do it well. Create on. We need you

Sight – Def: the ability to see.

What do you see? Do you see a closed door or is the door open? Do you see a mountain blocking your path or do you see a way to create a new path over the mountain? Do you see a homeless beggar by the side of the road or do you see a human being who’s struggling with life? We see what we want to see. If we want see obstacles and villains, we see them. If we want to see opportunities and good people, we see them. By changing what we want to see, we can discover new opportunities and connections.

Life – Def: the period between birth and death, or the experience or state of being alive.

Part of the definition for life is “the state of being alive.” What does it mean to be alive? I think it has a lot to do with engagement with the environment in which we find ourselves. When we’re fully alive, we’re fully engaged. What we’re involved with grabs hold of our attention. We may not like the form of engagement, but we know we can’t let go until we’re finished. I recall holding my dad’s hand and standing next to him during his last moments alive. I was experiencing being with someone I loved who was dying. My dad and I shared that experience. There are other times where the experience of being alive is filled with tears of joy. I had tears streaming down my cheeks as a daughter played her clarinet for her doctoral recital. I couldn’t tell where the music was coming from. Was it coming from her or her instrument? I was fully alive that moment. What moments have you had where you felt fully alive?

Destiny – Def: the things that will happen in the future. The particular state of a person or thing in the future.

I like the word destiny. It signifies I’m on a journey toward a desired end. It’s more than a goal. It is more related to something I am supposed to do or accomplish. In my experience, I’ve felt the hand of destiny touch me multiple times. Often, life has given me experiences that led me to a situation. The situation wasn’t always the best, but I knew I was supposed to be in this place at this time and to see my work through. I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences. When I’m on the journey, I have no clue about my destiny (destination), but when I arrive, I know. When destiny knocks listen and embrace it. This moment is meant for you what you alone can bring to it.

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