Way with Words: Rumination

It's not a new word to me...rumination...but it has definitely stood out to me lately. I think as writers we should always be expanding our vocabulary. The right word at the right time will add flair to your dialogue, poetry, song, whatever.

Rumination is my latest find. I heard it two ways in one week. What are the odds of that? I heard it used as a psychological term. In other words, it's unhealthy to ruminate over something. Then, I heard it in a spiritual sense that you should ruminate over scriptures.

This is where the importance of the meaning comes into play. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it means "to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly." That sounds painful. If you're replaying a negative interaction..ouch!

On the flip side, if you're focusing on a positive thought or scripture...yay! So, there it is. A new word to trade out for a tired other version. Ruminate on where you can slip it into your writing :-)