I tried this experiment on Sunday during silent worship. I started with the word “gift” and tossed it into the shallow waters of my mind like an anchor. Occasionally I drifted far enough away that the line grew taut and I remembered my focus: “gift.” I turned this word over and over in my mind for about an hour.

This life is a gift, I thought. So was this quiet time with my Quaker Friends. “Gift” made me think of generosity. I realized that you can go through life being generous or with a scarcity mentality. It occurred to me that I tend to do the latter–I think critically rather than kindly of myself and others, I am risk-averse (and miss many wonderful opportunities), I horde my health and time and possessions and talents and online presence and so on.

This awareness has continued throughout the week. I hope to turn “gift” into a sort of mantra to help me have a more generous approach to life, to others and to myself.

So this is my challenge to you this week: pick a word, deliberately or through random inspiration. Turn it over and over in your mind during focused meditation or write it on your hand and think about it whenever your gaze happens upon it. Grow in awareness of that word and related concepts and how these interact with your life. Tell us what you learn from the experiment.