Word of the week

We're going to remplissage it, then put it in a cast

Twenty years before Good Thing Monday, I ran a different weekly message.

W.O.W. Word of the week.

I was finishing college. Pre-iPhone. Small screens. A signup list of maybe 20 friends. Same day every week, they got a text from me with the word, the definition, and an example use.

The game was to use the word as many times as you could before the next one arrived.

Savory. Bodacious.

The game followed me into residency. I was in the hospital every Friday and Sunday on call. The word came during the night. Remplissage, or words like it. We had to use it as many times as possible during consults. Even in ways that made no sense.

Yes, you broke your wrist. We're going to remplissage it, then put it in a cast, and you can follow up in clinic.

Helped on the long nights. Comradry. Humor. Kept things light.

People sometimes ask how I have a good thing ready every Monday. I always have something. Some weeks are better than others. It's not that hard to think of a good thing.

The answer is twenty years of reps. A word became a story. The list of 20 became whoever reads this.

This week, start your own list. It can be anything. A word, a quote, or a good thing. Pick a day. Send the first one.

The good thing is, it counts even when it starts as a game. It can serve many purposes.

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Good Thing Monday goes out every Monday. One story, one good thing. If a friend sent you this one, subscribe and you'll get the next one.

Tell me your good thing this week. I read every one.