Preface
Preface to “Enthusiastic Ideas”
In 1995, the most traumatic event in my life to that point occurred. My wife and the mother of our two sons felt that she could no longer remain within our marriage, and so she left that relationship to find another life.
In the ensuing months, as I struggled to adapt to the painful realities of single-parenthood, I tried to learn everything I could that might help me win back my wife’s love. Those efforts were not successful, unfortunately, but one of the things I did back then has resulted in this book — Enthusiastic Ideas: A Good Word for Each Day of the Year.
I began to keep a notebook. Not a journal exactly, just a notebook in which I would write down truths and principles I needed to be reminded of. I remember writing that if I ever expected my wife to come back, I would need to offer her the gift of certain unconditional things: love, security, listening, acceptance, and several others.
At first, my list of “gift words” was fairly short, but it didn’t take me long to think of other qualities that I should be prepared to give, if I got the chance. And as the list grew, it began to be clear that these were not just things a husband should want to give his wife — they were gifts that all of us should want to give to those we love.
After that, the list started evolving into a more general list of “positive words.” No longer looking for just “gift words,” I included other words that might be looked at in a positive way. At the height of this word-collecting period, I could hardly read a book or an article without checking to see if it contained any words I hadn’t thought of. I don’t recall ever actually going through the dictionary, but it’s hard to imagine that many good words eluded my search. I was pretty thorough, if not methodical. By the time things settled down, I had over eight hundred nouns, each of which I thought was suggestive of something worth including in a human being’s character and conduct.
I posted my list of words on a website I was maintaining back then, and I still chuckle when I remember some of the comments I received from readers: “Henry, what’s with this crazy list of words? What can anybody do with just a list of . . . words?”
Well, I happen to believe that words are very special things. I love them, I respect them, and I believe that getting “thinky” about the words we use is a very healthy exercise. So I’ve written a book that gives you a single positive word to think about every twenty-four hours: a good word every day. Like my other books, this one is a daybook. There is a short, one-page reading for each day of the year, and what I’d like you to do is read the book at the rate of one page per day. Sure, you can browse ahead or go back and review. That’s fine. Just promise me you’ll really meditate on no more than one page each day. If you’ll try this habit, you might like it.
With a few of the words, you may wonder what’s so positive about them. I’ve written, for example, about things like abstinence, admonition, and apologies. Words like these don’t belong in the “positive mental attitude” lexicon, do they? Maybe not, but let’s give them a fair chance. Like people, some words wear their positive qualities on the surface, while others aren’t seen to be good without a deeper look. As J. R. R. Tolkien liked to say, “All that is gold does not glitter.”
And, yes, since I collected over eight hundred words, I have enough for more than one year. A second volume of these readings is not only possible; it has already been written. Next year, More Enthusiastic Ideas will be coming to a bookstore near you, unless God has other plans.
Over the years, I have profited as much as anyone from writers and speakers in the “positive mental attitude” genre. We do need to think more positively, and doing so is a great help. But the only positive thinking that matters is the kind that results in our doing what is right. And if better self-esteem is what we want, then we need to start living not only with strength but also with honor. I hope you’ll agree.
Finally, may I caution you never to use the expression “mere words.” Words are never “mere.” They are strong and beautiful. Use them carefully, for language is both a powerful gift and a serious stewardship. Say nothing you will not be pleased to meet on Judgment Day.
GPH
Preface to “More Enthusiastic Ideas”
Here is a fresh, new book of daily readings focused on words that are good for us to think about. In a previous book, Enthusiastic Ideas, I tried to show how words can give us hope and courage, one day at a time. In this book, More Enthusiastic Ideas, I am offering a new year’s worth of similar readings.
Like its predecessor, this book is what the older writers used to call a “daybook.” It consists of a single reading for each day of the year. The idea is to use each day’s reading as the starting point for a brief, but profitable, meditation. The readings are short enough to be read by busy people (as most of us are these days), but don’t let their brevity fool you. The readings are highly concentrated, and I hope you’ll find them “provocative” and “suggestive” in the highest sense. If this book sends you off down a lot of good trails in your own thinking, then I’ll be pleased. That’s what a daybook is intended to do.
These two books would be placed in the “positive thinking” section of the library, I suppose. I don’t mind that, although I fear that being put in that category means the books will not be taken seriously by some people. Unfortunately, books about “positive mental attitude” have a reputation for being fluffy: nothing more than cotton candy for the mind. Whatever the reasons for that reputation might be, I don’t believe the situation has to be the way it is. A writer should be allowed to address the issue of positive thinking at a deeper level.
If we happen to be living in a less than wonderful way, the last thing we need is for someone to try to help us by pouring “positive mental attitude” syrup over the facts. The positive thinking we need won’t come from dreaming or ignoring reality; it will come from the (sometimes painful) alignment of ourselves with principles of proven validity in human character and conduct. So as a speaker and writer, I get in people’s faces and challenge them to change in significant ways. There’s nothing fluffy about it, believe me.
If you look over the Index for these two books, you’ll see a number of words that are related to one another, sometimes very closely. For instance, remembering, remembrances, memories, and mementos each get a page of their own. This is no accident. Nuances can be important, and it’s helpful to think about shades of meaning. As Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”
Together, these books include 732 different words to think about. That’s a lot, but there are still others that could have been included. Perhaps I left out a word you would like to hear discussed. If so, write and tell me. There aren’t any plans for a third volume of these readings, but you might convince me to take out one of my words and include yours in a future revision of the existing books.
As I explained in the Preface to Enthusiastic Ideas, this project began as a short list of “gifts” that one person might give another. I called them “gift words” back in the beginning. Eventually, however, the list widened out and came to include many good words of a more general nature, which I decided simply to call “positive words.”
Even if you don’t usually think in terms of “giving yourself to others,” Enthusiastic Ideas and More Enthusiastic Ideas are books that will challenge you to improve your “self” anyway. These good words would be worth contemplating even if you lived in a hermit’s cabin way out in the woods somewhere. Being all that we can be is the right thing to do — even if no one else knows or cares or thanks you for it.
But now that the project has come full circle, I’d like you to come back with me to the idea of “gift words.” We do need to see character improvement as a process that builds a better connection to others. It’s not only important to be people of strength and honor, but also to give ourselves to others as people who have that kind of character.
As you think about the words in these books, see them as qualities in which you can grow. Those who deal with you each day would be delighted to discover that you’ve grown in qualities like hope, courage, and joy. I believe that if you’ll think of your personal character growth as a gift you can give to those around you, you’ll be more highly motivated to grow. So what kind of new “you” would you like to give to your friends and family? I have a few suggestions . . .
GPH