New word for the day: Beleaguered

The word "overwhelmed" has been a major part of my vocabulary lately.  Life itself is overwhelming, both in good and...less-than-good ways.  Because I like to shake things up a bit, and I love learning and using new words, I decided to try to find a good replacement for "overwhelmed."  This is what I came up with, compliments of the Encarta Dictionary (of North American English):

Beleaguered: be-lea-guer (transitive verb)

     1.  Annoy.  to make somebody feel harassed, hemmed in, or under severe pressure

     2.  Besiege.  to surround somebody or something with an army

 Beleaguered.  Learn it, use it, love it! 

I just wanted to say to all of you wonderful readers and kindness-doers...THANK YOU.  Even though I have felt rather beleagured by life as of late, you all are still making me so happy!  The people who have submitted guest posts, spotlight questionnaires, and comments to posts have demonstrated a huge kindness to me by participating and helping out with my project.  But more than anything else, I love receiving messages about acts of kindness people have witnessed or experienced via text, email, or Facebook, often ending with "I just had to let you know because it reminded me of your blog."  Not only do these stories make me smile because I love that there are kind people out there blessing the lives of others, but they also validate my purpose here as a writer.

"Think of an idea to change the world, and put it into action." -Eugene Simonet, teacher on the movie Pay it Forward

My writing professor assigned essentially the same project.  "Think of a way you can use writing to change the world."  Even if I haven't inspired my readers to go out and be someone's hero, I at least know that my blog is helping people (myself included) be more aware of the kind deeds that others are doing around them.  And increasing awareness is the best way to mobilize change.

Again, from the bottom of my heart: thank you, dear readers!  I am...overwhelmed...(beleaguered just didn't seem to fit the sentence) by all of your love and support.  Keep on spreading the kindness, and stay tuned for another guest post and another community spotlight coming up in the next couple of days. :)

Challenge for the Day:

Leave a surprise gift on someone's doorstep