I sometimes get a kick out of seeing a word used that isn’t normally in my daily arsenal. Maybe I’ll stumble upon a meaning I didn’t really equate with a word or maybe it’s just a word I never use or hear used. It’s silly I guess, but it catches my interest.
I actually run two blogs — this one and another I started when I had initially found myself unemployed. In all honesty, I don’t often devote the time to either that they deserve. But when working on that other site, where I talk about things like work, self-discovery, and nearly anything else which comes to mind, I came across a poster from the National Archives that caught my interest. I believe it was from the 1930’s, during the depression. They used a lot of posters back then to communicate.
The word Pluck stuck out. Now, being from a rural community, the first thing I think of when I hear pluck brings images of a chicken being prepared for the pot. For others the word pluck might remind them of the sound of a guitar string as it is plucked into motion.
In this case, Pluck has another meaning which is completely relevant to the area in which I live and for these times in which we find ourselves.
Merriam- Webster offers this definition of pluck as a noun:
courageous readiness to fight or continue against odds : dogged resolution
I like that. Pluck is a word we can use right now. I believe folks where I live naturally have pluck. I also believe at the heart of the American Experience there is plenty of pluck. We need to find it. We are going to need to use it. Pluck is just one characteristic that will help us get through this mess we see around us.
Of course, there are lots of words out there that describe just what it is that sets us apart as a community, a state, a region, and a nation — perseverance, commitment, determination, focus, dependability, faith — just to name a few. But I think PLUCK wraps it up rather neatly.
So, hey, when you’re down or frustrated or scared; when you can’t see a clear direction; when you’re just tired and worn out — find your pluck. I think you’ve got it, and I believe you can make it through.
