Sunday, April 6, 2008

The magic of "renew"

I don't usually quote myself, but this time I'm going to make an exception. In launching a discussion on the reboot social network (http://rebootyou.ning.com/) I posted these thoughts about the word "renew:"

I just looked up the word "renew" at Dictionary.com, and here are some of the synonyms:

Restock. re-create, rejuvenate, regenerate, reinstate, mend.

Renew, renovate, repair, restore suggest making something the way it formerly was.

To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor: to renew one's enthusiasm.

Renovate means to do over or make good any dilapidation of something: to renovate an old house. To repair is to put into good or sound condition; to make good any injury, damage, wear and tear, decay, etc.; to mend: to repair the roof of a house.

To restore is to bring back to its former place or position something which has faded, disappeared, been lost, etc., or to reinstate a person in rank or position: to restore a king to his throne.

OK, I'm not suggesting we restore a king to his throne, but don't you feel a freshness and energy in that list of words? Especially this sentence: "To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor."

Rebooting is all about renewal. I think in some or many ways we try to renew something every day, whether we think about it or not. Even if it's just getting enough sleep to wake up with a sense of "freshness and vigor." (Don't tell me that's not how you wake up in the morning.)

Even if you're sleepy, a new day is a new day. Having one is better than the alternative. And a new day is a good day to reboot!

1 comment:

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