Simple

Did you make a New Years resolution?  How is that going for you?  Are you out to loose weight?  Get more organized?  Spend more time with God?  Spend less $?  Be on time?  Slow down?  All of the above?

I don't typically make resolutions.  I've learned in the past years that I can't keep them.  Ideally I would love to do all of the above.  And, ideally I will strive to do those things every day, resolution or not.  This year though, I decided to work on a word.  If you don't know about this fad, it's something I've seen on blogs and other sites, to pick a word of the year and make that your focus or resolution for the year.  My word is going to be Simple.  I went back and forth between a few words before settling on simple.

I need to keep things simple.  As shown below there are a LOT of ways to describe this word. 

When planning an activity with the kids or family, a lot of times I will get so involved in working out details that I miss the whole point of the moment.  Or I get crabby when it doesn't go according to my plans.  Life would be so much easier if I just kept things SIMPLE. 

When at the store I see some toy on sale that I'm sure the kids would love and so I get it for them.  When in reality, they would be happy if I SIMPLY got them chapstick.  (or better yet pulled one out of the drawer). 

You will hopefully be seeing more posts on this topic in the coming months and with any luck I will learn to be more simple (and no I don't mean unlearned)!  ;)

sim·ple   /ˈsɪmpəl/
[sim-puhl]

adjective, -pler, -plest, noun
–adjective
1. easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter; simple tools.
2. not elaborate or artificial; plain: a simple style.
3. not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple gown.
4. unaffected; unassuming; modest: a simple manner.
5. not complicated: a simple design.
6. not complex or compound; single.
7. occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth; a simple fact.
8. free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional: a frank, simple answer.
9. common or ordinary: a simple soldier.
10. not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: a simple way of life.
11. humble or lowly: simple folk.
12. inconsequential or rudimentary.
13. unlearned; ignorant.
14. lacking mental acuteness or sense: a simple way of thinking.
15. unsophisticated; naive; credulous.
16. simpleminded.
17. Chemistry .
a. composed of only one substance or element: a simple substance.
b. not mixed.
18. Botany . not divided into parts: a simple leaf; a simple stem.
19. Zoology . not compound: a simple ascidian.
20. Music . uncompounded or without overtones; single: simple tone.
21. Grammar . having only the head without modifying elements included: The simple subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “pony.” Compare complete ( def. 5 ) .
22. (of a verb tense) consisting of a main verb with no auxiliaries, as takes (simple present) or stood (simple past) ( opposed to compound).
23. Mathematics . linear ( def. 7 ) .
24. Optics . (of a lens) having two optical surfaces only.