Sunday's Watch Word - - Collected Monday's Watch Word - - Colorful

Collected:

1)     Gathered; assembled; congregated; drawn together.

2)  Recovered from surprise or dismay; not disconcerted; cool; firm; prepared.

Went to church today. What a good day for this word, right!?!  It is kind of fun to get settled into a new congregation...getting a chance to find your niche in a new group of people.

There was this cute baby who's mother sat next to me during a class...he was asleep when they sat down but soon I noticed this tiny 9 month old baby boy just gazing at me, leaning toward me but still on his mother's shoulder.  Soon his little hand was on my arm...gently resting.  I smiled at him and he reached for me and climbed into my lap before I knew what was happening.  He was so charming.  He had surely 'collected' me. :-)

I have had a lot of experiences in the last few years that have given me opportunity to exercise this word in my life.  I am not sure how well I have done with it I just know that I try.  I think the sayings, "Bloom where you're planted" - "Play the hand you're dealt" - "Go with the flow" -- and such, are trying to help the mindset of the second definition for the word Collected.  Many things happen that can just shatter a person's wits and scatter the pieces across the universe sometimes.  I think having a center helps to call the pieces back.  That center for me is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Knowing that there is a purpose to my life and a firm and worthy goal helps me to gather all the pieces together, make a new plan, and maybe even repent away the pieces that helped to cause the problems that fractured my wits in the first place.

"Collected" is a word that helps to get to my goal of Serenity.  

One can't fly into a rage, or melt-down and be 'collected' at the same time.  It is one or the other and it is a choice that has to be made in a fraction of a fraction of a second. (No, that is not a typo). 

Monday's Watch Word - -

Colorful:

Noah doesn't have the word in his 1828 dictionary.

Full of interest, lively and exciting.

This is an interesting word for this project. I immediately went to language when I first saw it...you know how you say, "He used rather...colorful...language" when you are really meaning 'foul language.'

Then I thought of eccentric.  There are people who just seem to live in their own little world and really don't give much credence to what is 'fashionable.'  I think those people are 'colorful'...like the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

I think it is possible to have a certain serenity and be colorful as well.  The lively and exciting part of the definition is my challenge.  :-)  I am so full of interests that I drive my family crazy ... because I have to collect stuff in order to allow myself to follow through on all those interests....oh, wait, I am thinking this is not really what this definition means...sorry  ;-)

But really, to be interesting, in my mind means that you know how to be interested in others.  I find that when I learn something about a lot of things I can carry on a conversation with just about anyone.  I think it is because I know just enough to be able to ask a good question now and again.  I like that.

Still working on this 'colorful' thing.

Onward and Upward!
Tari