FULL OF IT

Good Morning, Class.  Today we will explore the suffix "ful" and a curious evolution in our common usage of such.

One would agree, wouldn't one, that beautiful means "full of beauty"?  Likewise, fearful would indicate a feeling of "full of fear"; artful, "full of art" (or artistic ability); fanciful "full of 'fancy' or whimsy"; wonderful, "full of wonder"; graceful, "full of grace"...and so on.  There are many examples.  Take a moment to think of some.  It's fun.

In class yesterday Karen began to talk of being careful, but with a twist.  She meant that we should be full of care for ourselves, and I started to wonder....when did "Be careful" turn into an admonishment meaning "avoid disaster!"  We shout, "Be careful!" to toddlers learning to use stairs; to teenagers driving for the first time; to husbands with a bad knee still doing Double Diamond gladed runs on his snowboard.  (OK, maybe that's just me, but he did hit a tree one time and ended up with bruised ribs.)

Be careful, of course, does indicate a desire for our loved one, or ourself, to take care in a myriad of ways to stay healthy and whole, but we use the term as a warning, issued as a limitation.

These days we are being told to embrace radical acceptance and to seek activities that are renewing and refreshing and we call it "self-care".  Aren't we actually engaging in being "care-FULL" when we lie on the massage table, take a nap, read a book, meet a friend for coffee, enjoy a healthful (full of health!) meal, or step onto our yoga mats?

And if we are reclaiming careful, let's also give a shout-out to awful.  How about instead of that word most typically meaning something terrible, no good, and to be avoided, we instead looked at the world from a place of being "full of awe".

Yes!  I think one of my New Year Intentions (I refuse to make short-term resolutions, but I do set long-term intentions), is to reclaim the words "careful" and "awful" -- removing them from the negative connotation of something to be feared, something that can harm, something to avoid -- to a way of being in the world that uplifts me, reminds me to care for myself in a positive way and to be appreciative and grateful for life's mysteries.  I want to be "full of care"  and "full of awe" in a way that enhances my life.

Let's all greet 2019 by being very, very care-full and very, very awe-full!  ©

Namaste,  donnajurene