Thinking about Theme Words, my brain keeps turning over the idea that I don’t want to curse myself inadvertently. Now, it turns out that the “chinese curse” isn’t — if you check just Wikipedia alone, you’ll read,

“May you live in interesting times” is an English expression purported to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse. …Despite being so common in English as to be known as the “Chinese curse”, the saying is apocryphal, and no actual Chinese source has ever been produced.

And further,

The nearest related Chinese expression is 寧為太平犬，莫做亂離人; nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, mò zuò luàn lí rén; which is usually translated as “Better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be a human in a chaotic (warring) period.”

Since the modern world is already providing me way more chaos than I could want, I’ve been trying to make sure I’m not setting myself up for trouble, like the punchline “But I want patience NOW!”

One friend suggested “Future” for a theme word. Another friend has been considering words like “transition” or “evolve.” Another friend has embraced, “Wonderment.” I love watching the conversations about how various words are resonating with my friends.

For now, I still don’t have a final answer on *my* personal theme word for 2019. But I am amused as I try to ensure that my theme word fits my own goals for the year.

Picking the train I want to be on