(Yes, I do have this song stuck in my head...you too? Bienvenue!)
It's Monday. I have almost always enjoyed Mondays, for various reasons. I even renamed it "Fresh Day" once, just to express my love for this much maligned weekday.
Happy Fresh Day! (See? It makes you feel like anything is possible!)
Currently, my Mondays are SO good because I meet with a wonderful human who makes me a better person. Each week we meet via the interwebs to share life. (This was happening even before the FGP; it was a function of geography.) I love meeting with this human because together we "set a table" for the week. This table is chock full of hope, despair, and everything in between. Themes often arise that help me focus, and this has been particularly helpful during these days of "what the heck is going on."
This morning, my friend brought up the theme of "welcome." The word lodged in my brain, and I knew this would be the touchstone for the week.
"Welcome," from etymonline.com:
welcome (n.)
Old English wilcuma "welcome!" exclamation of kindly greeting, from earlier wilcuma (n.) "welcome guest," literally "one whose coming suits another's will or wish," from willa "pleasure, desire, choice" (see will (n.)) + cuma "guest," related to cuman "to come," from PIE root *gwa- "to go, come." Similar formation in Old High German willicomo, Middle Dutch wellecome.
Meaning "entertainment or public reception as a greeting" is recorded from 1530. The adjective is from Old English wilcuma. You're welcome as a formulaic response to thank you is attested from 1907. Welcome mat is from 1908; welcome wagon is attested from 1940.
I'm particularly drawn to the phrase "one whose coming suits another's will or wish." It feels like it puts the ball in my court, gives me the agency to say "yes" or "no."
Questions I'll be pondering this week:
- What does it mean for me to be welcoming? What does it mean right now, in my current context/situation?
- What am I welcoming in my life right now? Is there anything that I'm allowing that doesn't suit my "pleasure, desire, choice" right now?
- Can I give myself the permission to say "no thank you" or "not right now"? Or even the simple and magical word "no" (why can this simple word be so complicated?).
- Will I watch Cabaret again? Odds are good I'll at least watch a couple of the musical numbers. When something lodges in your brain, sometimes you gotta go for it.
Anyway, Happy Monday! I'm holding space for you and hoping that you find what you need this week.
M