Feeling Full
Last Sunday was the first day of my son’s spring break. I cooked two huge meals, did loads of laundry, went grocery shopping, got caught up with my son and dealt with the usual daily dramas of my fourteen-year-old daughter. As I got into bed that night I told my husband I was exhausted and he said “Yes, it was a full day.” Interesting, because I was thinking it had been a “busy” day. But as soon as he said that, it shifted my perspective. “Busy” implies lots of chores, a time crunch and has a slight unpleasant undertone. “Full,” on the other hand, has such a satisfying sound. Our house was full. Our stomachs were definitely full. And, at the risk of sounding cheesy, my heart was full. It reminded me of a passage from a book I recently read, Helen Dunmore’s A Spell of Winter. The main character and her brother are preparing to go on a long walk in the country. She says “I was full of excitement. I wanted to walk miles and come home with my whole body aching.” (I know that feeling!) She could have said “I was excited” but I absolutely love how she said “I was full of excitement.” I’m always fascinated by words, and noticing how different words can change my perspective. The next time I’m extremely busy at work, I’m going to say “I have a full day” (and appreciate how lucky it is to have an abundance of clients.) I won’t, however, go around saying things like “I’m full of excitement” or “I’m full of happiness” because that would sound kind of… odd. I’ll be thinking it though! Do you have any words you love to use? Have there been any words lately that shifted your perspective?