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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

One Little Word for 2020

Happy 2020! For the past dozen years, I have selected One Little Word to serve as my guide and inspiration for the year. Here's a list of words so far:

2008 joy
2016 delight 
2017 abundance
2018 behold
2019 happy

... and for 2020 I've selected



Why red?

I'm not entirely sure! (I've always been a "purple" girl.) I hope to discover the whys during this year of "red."


Here's what I've learned so far:

Red is an emotionally intense color, and it has many broad, contradictory meanings --- anger, fear, birth, passion, energy, love, danger, violence, aggression, ambition, determination, confidence, humanity, death... it's complicated!

Red is attention-getting, which is why it's the color of fire trucks and stop signs.

Hester Prynne wore a red letter A on her chest.

Editors use red pencils/ink.

Tiger Woods always wears a red shirt on Sundays.

Red fruits like strawberry, watermelon, tomato are favorites of mine. Here's a list of 273 things in nature that are red.

Ryan Hodnett [CC BY-SA 4.0
(https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Who doesn't love a (male) cardinal? (I love the females, too, of course -- see this mama cardinal poem!)

Red letter days are the best days.

When we were expecting our second child, we painted his room red on the bottom and yellow on the top with a cute transportation-themed wallpaper border in between. A few months into his life I read an article that suggested red bedroom walls might increase violence and anger in children, so we promptly repainted his room blue!

January's birthstone garnet is red.

An introvert, I generally stay away from red in clothing, but I've noticed it creeping into my wardrobe more often in recent years.

In Russia, the word "red" means "beautiful."

In Asia, red symbolizes good luck.

In North American stock markets, red means a drop in value.

... so who knows where red will take me this year??

To read about others' selections for their One Little Word, be sure to visit Margaret at Reflections on the Teche for Spiritual Journey Thursday roundup!

11 comments:

  1. Exciting! You really went an unexpected direction. It will be fun to see what bold, vibrant directions you go in this year! xo

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  2. With your year of blogging less, I wasn't sure you'd post. Excited to see you joining in with SJT. Red is quite the flamboyant word! It will be fun to see where it takes you.

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  3. Great choice! In my photography project, I've learned that there's a rule about red: every time you see something red, you should take a picture of it. Sounds like a good rule for your year!

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  4. I've never thought of having a color for my OLW, but your post is so convincing. I'd love to have more reasons to add red into my wardrobe. I usually put it away after Christmas. Red may bring you back to fierce of 2012 or lead you into passion. Who knows? I just hope it keeps you writing.

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  5. Irene, it is so wonderful to have you here with our SJT friends. I am glad that you had time to blog with us. Your post is quite unexpected. I don't think of you as a red-type of person but why not, it is such a vibrant color. I can't wait to see how red guides you to embark on new journeys and shower your life with more passion for all that makes you happy.

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  6. You are so cool, Irene. Let's both buy red cowgirl boots this year. x

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  7. Red is one of my colors; unbearable for vibrancy. I love that you chose a color and thst you’re exploring its symbolism (another of my favorite pursuits). It will be intriguing to see where red takes you this year!

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  8. That is, UNBEATABLE for vibrancy!! :O

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  9. Ah, there're all different shades of red…your color here and on your Poetry Friday post are both warm, a rich burnt reddish orange. Have fun exploring this new muse this year Irene, xo.

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  10. Hi Irene: I love this idea of a RED year! Red is on of my main colors. I need it to add color to my pale skin. I love the punch it delivers. I like its warmth and strength. So... yes... it is a thumping "hot" color! Good for you. Good luck with it, I look forward to your posts.

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