Happy New Year ~ happy new word!

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. Anais Nin 

be·come

biˈkəm/

verb

verb: become; 3rd person present: becomes; past tense: became; gerund or present participle: becoming; past participle: become

1. 1.

   begin to be.

   "they became angry"

   • grow to be; turn into.

     "the child will become an adult"

     synonyms:

     grow, get, turn, come to be, get to be;

   • (of a person) qualify or be accepted as; acquire the status of.

     "she wanted to become a doctor"

     synonyms:

     turn into, change into, be transformed into, be converted into

“It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute… that gives meaning to our lives.”  Tony Robbins

The first word that kept popping into my head earlier this year was allow.  But the longer I sat with it, the more passive it felt.  I decided to keep looking at words.  

I thought of all the things I want to come into my life.  Health. Healing. Energy. But I also felt how much all of those things revolve around having cancer.  

So I kept searching…

I recently found some journaling from a time in my mid-twenties.  I had so many questions, and so few answers.  What would my life look like when I was 30 or 40?

I simply wanted to be married.  Have kids.  Have a house.  Work in a  profession that I loved.

But not knowing the who, what, when or where of those things precluded me from seeing my life after 40.  

 

Now that I am right where I longed to be in my mid 40's what is next?  Who do I want to be?  

It was when I had that thought- that the word I couldn't let go of, held me fast. 

BECOME

"Become."  I want to engage in every possibility of becoming who I am meant to be. Part of the impetus towards this selection, I think, is that I truly want to know who I am supposed to be outside of the woman with stage 4 breast cancer. I'm trying to shift myself away from always seeing my life as centered on being the cancer patient.  So many possibilities exist in becoming- healthy.  Or joyful.  Or fun-loving.  Or an author.  Or anything really.  So the first sentence in the definition says "To begin to be."  And I think - okay- here I go!  

My friend Mimi shared this with me and I thought it was perfect to pass along. 

I have a big Friday coming up.  Sedation, then mri, then hopefully the ct scanner.  Big appointment with Dr. P coming up next week… 

Happy New Year! 

How about you?  Do you have a word you'd care to share with us?  

I'd love to hear!!