word ...

one word 

it can define 

it can liberate 

it can inspire

 it can defeat 

Word 

Your word is your bond and without conviction, honor and honesty behind it, others will neither respect nor regard you.  

So choose wisely.

 In the world of blogging there is the phenom of the "One Word" challenge; a challenge I accepted years back and fell in defeat some two months in. I kept defending my lack of stick-to-it-ness with "I can never remember the word". 

It was "time". 

 FAIL! 

 You know where this is going, right? 

2015 is here and decisions must be made, especially "do I or don't I pick a word?" 

The fact that I am yammering on about words pretty much already answers that, so the only real choice was 'which one'. After considering several, I circled back to 'why' I am even contemplating the word challenge in the first place.  It's not to add meaning or direction to my life, but to inspire my photography (and if it helps with meaning and direction - win/win).  One word kept resurfacing, 

and it might possibly been because after song*ography I keep playing this melody on my ipod/phone:

PROUD 

1. feeling pleasure or satisfaction over something regarded as highly honorable or creditable to oneself. 

~

I want to feel proud of myself, my work, my efforts.  I can no longer simply concentrate on doing, being, existing primarily to make others proud - it needs to start with me and hopefully in doing so, those that surround me will be the collateral recipients of my accomplishments.

2014 pushed me in this direction, now 2015 need only carry me further along the same path.

~~~

I live in West Virginia.  A small state with much the same problems as any other state, but with less money, deeper stereotypes, and stronger barriers to change.  Still, I am proud to call it my home and each time I go to work I exit with a view of our state's Capitol.  A symbol of greatness, power, and majestic beauty.  

We are "Wild and Wonderful".

So, with a little spit-shine (a/k/a: photoshopping)

I give you the golden dome of the West Virginia state Capitol.

While I added some pizzazz to the grey sky, those rolling hills beyond are the real deal.

PROUD