Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, inspired me to search for my word. Her word is attraversiamo which is Italian for “let’s cross over.” Now I’ve been searching all over for my word, hoping I would find some super cool word that no one really knows of. I wanted something super unique! But then it just came to me so naturally as I writing down my daily affirmations. I have come to find out that my word is…

And

So simple and straight to the point. I thought my word would be some cool adjective like effervescent or poignant or even ethereal. I even thought about multifarious because it means to have great diversity. But every word just felt like a box trying to keep me down. This conjunction just seems so fitting for who I am. And who I am is an ever-changing human. I am a daughter and a friend. A lover and an ex. I am sweet and patient. I am a dog mom and a cat mom. I am a teacher and a student. I am night and day. The sun and the moon. Human yet completely from out of this world. I am so many things and that is my favorite quality about myself. I also like the word “and” because it’s short and well, it’s one of those words that if you stare at it long enough, it just starts to look off and you start to wonder if you misspelled it. And I believe that’s what happens when people get too close to me in a nonphysical and physical sense.

&

My energy is so magnetic, it’s a catalyst for change. You can try and put a simple title on me but that would never be able to keep me locked away. If you stare too long, you get lost in my orbit. The song that comes to mind when attempting to describe my energy is “I Put A Spell On You” by Nina Simone. Not many people can handle my energy and I am starting to really enjoy that fact because that just means only the right people in my life can stay. I’m a complex woman that not many understand. I like that. Plus, what other word has a cool logogram like the ampersand. Well there are many words that do but not many are used in basically every setting whether it be a title or a business name, and/& are used everywhere. Every individual draws an ampersand so unique to their own style of handwriting. They can be so distinctive!

I almost forgot to mention that the word for “and” in Spanish is “y.” A single letter that represents the continuing of something. The simplicity of it all makes it that much more elaborate, leaving you wanting more.

Just like my word, there is always that “wait but there’s more” when trying to describe who I am and what I represent. May I always be a woman who has many titles and wears them with grace! Here is to writing my life story as each day goes by.

And as always,

Alexis Mariah 🧠

P.s. I also made a playlist, obviously!