Over the past few weeks, three words kept presenting themselves. They lingered like a melody you can’t shake once it has settled in. Wherever I turned, they appeared again — in emails, in texts, in conversations around me.
Because I love language and words, I chose not to ignore them. Instead, I became curious. I began to play with these words, to see whether they might connect — and what could emerge if they did.
The words were association, bridge, and drama.
An association game with friends planted the first word. Association showed itself not as play, but as a constant undercurrent, linking past and present. Bridge surfaced while brainstorming on a friend’s business name, then returned elsewhere. And then there was drama — spoken almost casually by someone whose words carry weight for me, yet echoing long after.
Gradually, I began to see how these words are intertwined. Associations arise as echoes from the past, subtly shaping how we experience the present. They form a bridge between what once was and what is happening now. When we mistake old associations for truth, life can quickly feel heavy and dramatic — as if we are responding to something that no longer exists.
But a bridge can also be a place to pause. To observe instead of react. And it is precisely there that the drama begins to soften. Space opens — not necessarily for a new story, but for a new moment.
Wishing you a conscious, spacious, and meaningful New Year.