December 1: One Word.

Prompt: "Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?" (Author: Gwen Bell) *

One word? Three hundred sixty five days boiled down to one word? (That last sentence has captured that song from Rent as an earworm, but I suppose there are worse earworms.) Right now, crushed by the stress of the end of the semester, I have a difficult time being positive, or thinking of anything optimistically. That's also my nature.

Nonetheless, this little exercise has me thinking about the big things that have happened in the past year and I don't even have to place them against the backdrop of "same time, another year" in order to see that 2010 has been a pretty damn good year. I wrote an article, wrote a book proposal, presented at two conferences, went to ENGLAND, saw where the Beatles got their start, saw a Beatle in concert, saw where Shakespeare was born, saw where Shakespeare was buried (which I sorta count as seeing Shakespeare himself -- sorta), went to several conferences, had prominent historians praise my work, got a book contract with a big press in their trade division, started a speaker series at my school (complete with podcasts), started a book group, played a part in the Vagina Monologues, spent the summer living at the Gentleman Caller's house, and realized that love can be something entirely opposite of what my parents and grandparents taught me. (Do not underestimate the power of that last item.)

I'm sure that I'm leaving out so many other things here. Suffice to say that this year has moved me forward. Forward in my career. Forward in my -- jeez, there is no good word here that I can think of that doesn't sound like something from a self-help book about personal growth and development, is there? Forward and upward. In fact, to return to an earlier metaphor, I'm selling myself less and less short and more and more TALL.

So, if this prompt requires me to pick a word, I have to say the word would be "forward" or "TALL." I think I'll go with "forward" because I don't yet feel completely TALL, just less short.

2010 was a forward year for me. Let's hope 2011 is even more forward. More papers, more articles, more chapters, more love. More TALL.

For the rest of the world? Well, I haven't got time for the panic attack in the face of the black hole of sucking regression this morning.

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*I found this month-long writing exercise program through Buffalo Mama (who was Bitch PhD in a former blog life) and thought "what the hell?" Dr. Crazy is doing the same thing, too!