Sunday, April 05, 2009

strong

–adjective
1. having, showing, or able to exert great bodily or muscular power; physically vigorous or robust: a strong boy.
2. accompanied or delivered by great physical, mechanical, etc., power or force: a strong handshake; With one strong blow the machine stamped out a fender.
3. mentally powerful or vigorous: He may be old, but his mind is still strong.
4. especially able, competent, or powerful in a specific field or respect: She's very strong in mathematics. He's weak at bat, but he's a strong fielder.
5. of great moral power, firmness, or courage: strong under temptation.
6. powerful in influence, authority, resources, or means of prevailing or succeeding: a strong nation.
7. aggressive; willful: a strong personality.
8. of great force, effectiveness, potency, or cogency; compelling: strong reasons; strong arguments.
9. clear and firm; loud: He has a strong voice.
10. solid or stable; healthy; thriving: The banker predicted a strong economy.
11. well-supplied or rich in something specific: a strong hand in trumps.
12. having powerful means to resist attack, assault, or aggression: a strong fortress; a strong defense.
13. able to resist strain, force, wear, etc.: strong walls; strong cloth.
14. decisively unyielding; firm or uncompromising: She has strong views about the United Nations. He has a strong sense of duty.
15. fervent; zealous; thoroughgoing: He's a strong Democrat.
16. strenuous or energetic; vigorous: strong efforts.
17. moving or acting with force or vigor: strong winds.
18. distinct or marked; vivid, as impressions, resemblance or contrast: He bears a strong resemblance to his grandfather.
19. intense, as light or color.
20. having a large proportion of the effective or essential properties or ingredients; concentrated: strong tea.
21. (of a beverage or food) containing much alcohol: strong drink; The fruitcake was too strong.
22. having a high degree of flavor or odor: strong cheese; strong perfume.
23. having an unpleasant or offensive flavor or odor, esp. in the process of decay: strong butter.
24. of a designated number: Marines 20,000 strong.
25. Commerce. characterized by steady or advancing prices: The market resumed its strong pace after yesterday's setback.
26. Grammar.
a. (of Germanic verbs) having vowel change in the root in inflected forms, as the English verbs sing, sang, sung; ride, rode, ridden.
b. (of Germanic nouns and adjectives) inflected with endings that are generally distinctive of case, number, and gender, as German alter Mann “old man.”
c. belonging to the morphophonemically less regular of two inflectional subtypes.
27. (of a word or syllable) stressed.

Out of all the words on my list, this has always been my most difficult to embrace. I have always had a strong personality and while I was in the conservative church world, this was never encouraged or embraced. In my mind, it was always looked upon with shame. (Damn you Proverbs 31 for being misinterpreted and shaming towards vibrant, young women) And unfortunately, I never embraced it either.

It wasn't until Chicago that I fully began to understand that my strong-will isn't a bad thing. I'm a confident, strong-willed individual. And some people cannot handle it. It's only been in the last few years that I've been able to handle it. However, today, I'm going to embrace it and love it because Sheralee is right, this is a part of who I am.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

desire

One of my favorite shows to watch is "Friday Night Lights". It has nothing to do with my love of football, it has to do with my desire to be authentic. Something in this show hits my desire for authenticity every week.

This week, I realized how strong this desire is when I realized someone I considered to be a friend showed his true colors. Not knowing him made me sad; realizing who he actually is made me sadder.

My desire to be known, to be real, to be loved has become more apparent since I've lost my job. My desire to do work that betters the world is palpable in every moment of my life.

As I was watching "Friday Night Lights" this week, I was struck by one of the characters desire for college. Her desire for college is similar to my desires to just be me. And in all honesty, these could be my words today.

Two years ago, I was afraid of wanting anything.
I figured wanting would lead to trying and trying would lead to failure.
But now I find that I can't stop wanting.
I want to fly somewhere in first class.
I want to travel to Europe on a business trip.
I want to get invited to the White House.
I want to learn about the world.
I want to surprise myself.
I want to be important.
I want to be the best person that I can be.
I want to define myself instead of having others define me.
I want to win, and have people be happy for me,
I want to lose and get over it.
I want to not be afraid of the unknown.
I want to grow up to be generous and big hearted, the way that people have been with me.
I want an interesting and surprising life.
It's not that I think I'm going to get all of these things,
I just want the possibility of getting them.
College Life represents possibility.
The possibility that things are going to change.
I can't wait..

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

New Feature

I often speak about songs that I keep on repeat. I've been able to add a feature where you can now hear the song I am referencing. Enjoy!