Four-Letter Word February

Right in the middle of winter’s cooler days, February creates the perfect playground to explore a favorite idea of mine: Four-Letter Words! 

I know what you’re thinking, the four-letter word that comes to mind is more of an expletive than an expression. Well, it’s ‘not that kind’ of four-letter word I am focused on. It’s the four-letter words that build, not break us; words you’d actually want your kids to overhear you say and words that belong on your mirror and on your lips every morning.

When my daughter was in elementary school, she had the idea to open The Four-Letter Word Café. We would discuss its design and menu, enjoying the playful daydreaming of it all. My son and my husband, on the other hand, leaned toward a bit more ‘colorful commentary’ - especially while watching their favorite sports teams! Their café would have been a bit spicier, more like hot sauce. As a family, we enjoyed the fiery fun that these words brought to our dinner table conversations. Four-letter words became a theme in our household, one that continues to ripple throughout our lives today. 

There is a simplicity and clarity that comes with short words that hold so much weight.

These words may not take up much space on the page, but they sure do occupy valuable real estate in our hearts and lives. While many come to mind, I want to share a few favorites—aligned with the spirit of February and the theme of finding your Next Chapter.

L-O-V-E is time spent together. Love lives in actions and intentions. Love is a choice.

It’s not just a feeling, or an obligatory greeting. Love is how you show up, not just how you feel. Love can be our ‘why’ and also our ‘who.’ It is in the every day, often mundane, interactions, communications and connections. Love is personal in definition and powerful in growth.

T-I-M-E is our most precious commodity - our most honest currency. Time is our only true possession. It is finite and meant to be savored. How we choose to spend our time quietly architects our lives. Time is the investment who's returns have the potential to multiply in unforeseen ways. As Seneca reminds us, “Nothing is ours, except time.”

H-O-P-E is belief in motion. Hope is acting before reaction. Hope expands our perspective and broadens horizons. A moment of Hope can ignite the way forward.

P-L-A-Y is joy meeting creativity with permission to explore. Play is a necessary and nimble companion we’re meant to carry with us through every season.

R-I-S-K is growth’s entry fee. Risk can be scary and liberating, tough and tender. Risk allows for unexpected outcomes and new vision. Fear may accompany it - but when risk serves as information rather than instruction, Fear can turn into Freedom. Now that's a Risk worth taking!

C-A-R-E is attention. Care is love in action. Care is invisible and irreplaceable. The simple act of caring for another human being is more valuable than fixing. Care is the blanket we all want to be covered by. Care illuminates what Matters.

O-P-E-N holds endless possibilities. Open is limitless potential. Open has no finish line to cross. To be Open is to know that Progress, not Perfection, matters.

H-O-M-E is safety, not just a place. Home can be a person, a feeling or a truth. If ‘Home is where your heart is’ then home also lives within you.

Whichever version of the Four-Letter Word feels right for Y-O-U, I hope this inspires you to use your voice and vision to make it come to life. Let the word stand. Let it breath . Allow it to wash over you and sink beneath your skin. One word - just Four-Letters - is all you need to make a Change and to Choose YOU this season. No explanation required. Invite these little words into your household and hearts, and notice how they color and expand your world.

As February fills the air, may these small words make a big impact on your life.