George Bernard Shaw once quipped, “I often quote myself; it adds spice to my conversation.” Well, when you’re a Nobel laureate in literature, you can sprinkle your own words like seasoning. The rest of us, however, have to be content with quoting others — and maybe adding a pinch of our own wit.
And why not? We can tap into the wisdom of the ages through quotations, saving us the trouble of reinventing the wheel — which might end up more square than round if we tried. Perhaps that’s why one of the most popular parts of A.Word.A.Day is the A THOUGHT FOR TODAY section.
This week, we’ll feature usage examples that are themselves food for thought — in effect, five extra THOUGHTS FOR TODAY. Consider them a bonus snack for your mind’s daily cravings.
parturition
PRONUNCIATION:
(par-chuh/too-RISH-uhn)
MEANING:
noun: The act of giving birth.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin parturire (to be in labor). Earliest documented use: 1646
One day there was an earthquake that shook the entire Zen temple. Parts of it even collapsed. Many of the monks were terrified.
When the earthquake stopped the teacher said, “Now you have had the opportunity to see how a Zen man behaves in a crisis. You may have noticed that I did not panic. I was quite aware of what was happening and what to do.
I led you all to the kitchen, the strongest part of the temple. It was a good decision because you see we have all survived without any injuries.
However, despite my self-control and composure, I did feel a little bit tense – which you may have deduced from the fact that I drank a large glass of water, something I never do under ordinary circumstances.”
One of the monks smiled but didn’t say anything.
“What are you laughing at?” asked the teacher.
“That wasn’t water,” the monk replied, “it was a large glass of soy sauce.”
Unknown author
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY
What makes for a meaningful life? Social psychologist Brian S. Lowery explores three ideas tied to the experience of meaning and shows why simply pursuing personal achievements isn’t the best way to find it.
Construction has topped out on Xadia Hotel, a 42-story hotel tower at 58 West 39th Street in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by Marin Architects and developed by Wei Hong Hu under the H Hotel LLC, the 475-foot-tall structure will yield 173 guest rooms and amenities including a restaurant, an arcade, and a rooftop bar. The development is located on a narrow interior plot between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, one block south of Bryant Park.
Recent photos show the reinforced concrete superstructure built to its pinnacle since our last update in late April, when work was steadily rising above the dramatic midpoint cantilever. The tower culminates in two setbacks on the western and northern sides of the final stories, and will eventually be capped by a rectangular metal crown that renderings depict illuminating at night. The construction hoist is attached to the center of the northern face of the tower and the eastern wall is left blank. Installation of the glass curtain wall and metal paneling has yet to begin, but could commence in the coming weeks now that the building has topped out.
It remains to be seen whether the crown will retain the design previewed in the renderings, of if modifications have been made to the plans since these illustrations were released at the start of this year.
These renderings show the façade primarily composed of glass, with sections of metal paneling on the lower levels and on the underside of the cantilever.
The nearest subways from the site are the B, D, F, M, and 7 trains at the 42nd Street-Bryant Park station to the north.
58 West 39th Street is scheduled to complete construction around mid-2025.
You are the green of elm leaves in summer. New you are crisp as filo dough. Old you are soft as well worn leather. I will rub my hands with honey and run through the marble lobbies of banks. I will dance for you strung like a jester with bells of coins tinkling.
Come to me, come to me, come! I will not keep you in a dark trust fund. I will not chain you to labor at a mortgage or harness you to clanking stock issues but I will let you wander free as an alley cat through the city.
I will turn you out of your cage to sing arias in the treetops. I am not mean but foolishly kind. You would speedily rejoin others of your specie. Come, O green and murmuring swarm, build your wasp nest in my empty purse.
*from the collection of Piercy’s poetry, STONE, PAPER, KNIFE, Alred A. Knopf, New York :1983
The Lord of Sorrow sometimes bring sadness in with him when he appears – and he also highlights areas of life where decisions are needed, and where we feel unable to make important choices. This indecision leads to sadness and frustration.So on a day when he rules, we need to be exploring our more unhappy feelings, and wondering if there are issues that we are feeling unable to deal with, which are causing us pain or confusion. However, it’s important not to expect ourselves to deal with conflicts or problems until we feel stronger.So, having identified our difficulties, we need to file them in the ‘to do…’ box and then treat ourselves very gently for the rest of the day. In regaining our strength we shall be much better equipped to deal with things (you might notice the connection here with the Aeon – all decisions have their moment)If the Three of Swords rules on a day when you have no particular difficulties that need dealing with, you might like to spend a little time considering the whole concept of sorrow. We have become very afraid of experiencing pain – we will often go to great lengths to fail to enter into our own pain with a generous, gentle heart.Yet having the ability to face your own pain makes it into a more tolerable event when, sadly, it happens in your life. Look at the ways in which you have dealt with past pain. Try to decide if you feel you have done the best you could for yourself – and if not, work out why not.When we get hurt, we often make our suffering much worse by barbing the pain with guilt, self-accusation and bitterness directed to both ourselves and others. Often we do this as a way of trying to avoid feeling our pain – we distract ourselves with things that are basically irrelevant, but which eventually end up fouling the pure experience of hurting.Each one of us has a right to experience our sadness without judgement, nor recriminations, nor guilt. If, rather than avoiding hurt, we engage it, sometimes it can provide a clear energy for transformation, creativity and development.I don’t advocate suffering as an efficient spiritual tool, but there are times when, since you hurt anyhow, you can direct the deep emotional experience into new insight. And in so doing, you might well find your way through your pain with fewer after-effects and dark memories.Affirmation: “I trust myself to feel my own pain”
Also known as being anal-retentive, an anal personality is thought of as someone with an extreme need to control their environment or situations. A person with an anal personality will also have an obsessive attention to detail (even non-essential details) to the point that it might annoy others. Their behavior goes beyond being helpful. For example, a person with an anal personality might research a product endlessly before buying it.
This article discusses the origins of the concept of anal retentive personality and the factors that are believed to play a role in causing it. It also explains some of the signs that you might be anal-retentive and what you can do to cope.
Origins of the Anal-Retentive Personality
The concept of the anal-retentive personality dates back to the time of Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, who was the first to propose the existence of this personality type as part of psychoanalytic theory.
Freud wrote about the anal-retentive personality in his early works on psychosexual development. Freud argued that there were three psychosexual stages during early child development:
Oral: From birth to one year
Anal: From Age 1 to Age 3
Phallic: From Age 3 to Age 6
It was during the anal stage and toilet training that Freud argued the anal-retentive personality would develop.
Freud believed that when a child grew to realize that they could manage and restrict their bowel movements that the stage would be set for them to potentially develop either an anal-retentive personality or anal expulsive personality.
Freud felt that a child would decide whether to comply with their parent or not. If a parent was too strict or tried to toilet train a child too early, this would then lead to the child developing an anal-retentive personality. In addition, a child who was punished for toilet training accidents would also develop this personality.
Certain historians believe that some of Freud’s theories were influenced by the state of indoor plumbing in addition to the Victorian social mores at the time that he lived. Since there was no indoor plumbing, no diapers, and no washing machine, restricting one’s bowel movements would have been a much larger concern for children who lived when Freud was a young boy.
The Anal-Retentive Personality According to Freud
Freud depicted anal retentive people as being:
Overly orderly
Meticulous
Suspicious
Reserved
Further traits that were later described included being stubborn, rigid, stingy with money and/or time, and having an obsession with being neat or clean. Other adjectives used to describe this personality were perfectionistic, detail-oriented, overly self-reliant, and having a passion for organizing, classifying, or collecting objects.
What is an anal-expulsive personality?
A student of Freud’s, Karl Abraham, took the concept a step further and described the opposite of anal-retentive as being anal-expulsive (a person with a tendency to make a mess).
This psychiatric diagnosis refers to a person with a compulsive and inflexible need for mental and interpersonal control.
Similar to the anal personality, a person with OCPD will also show strong attention to detail, a need for orderliness in their environment, problems with perfectionism, and a tendency to make lists and rules to follow.
This person may also have trouble delegating tasks and will be obstinate and rigid in their interpersonal dealings. They may have trouble getting rid of old things or spending money.
Differences Between Anal-Retentiveness and OCPD
What are the differences between being anal retentive and having OCPD?
In common usage, a person who is said to have an anal personality would generally be considered to have a personality quirk. On the other hand, a person with OCPD would be considered to have a mental disorder that interferes with their daily life.
Research on the Anal-Retentive Personality
In a classic 1966 study, researchers showed that those with an anal personality performed worse on a task that required them to place their hand into water that had an odor suggestive of fecal matter than people without an anal personality. The researchers speculated that this reflected ineffective defenses against “anal impulses.”
In general, research has revealed that anal retentive characteristics appear as a cluster of traits rather than a defined type that would be defined as a disorder.
In general, the term is rarely used in current psychological research and has much more been adopted colloquially to describe a certain personality “style.”
Signs You Are Anal-Retentive
What are some signs you might be anal retentive yourself? Here are the signs to look for.
Do you buy 10 of everything at the grocery store so that you won’t run out?
Do you organize the bills in your wallet by color or by how worn they are so that you can spend the dirty ones first?
Do you look up words before you type them on social media to see whether you need to add a hyphen for proper grammar?
Do you categorize your grocery list so that it is in the exact order of the items that you will be buying at the store?
When you set clocks in your house, do you need to make sure that they are all set to the same minute and second?
Does it bother you greatly if you see small errors or details?
Have other people referred to you as overly neurotic about having things perfect around you?
Do you find it hard to relax on the weekend or on vacation when you know that it should be a time to unwind and recharge?
Are you stingy in how you consume things such as using only one square of toilet paper or not spending any of your money?
While these are just some examples of what it might be like if you are anal retentive, they show a common theme of needing to control your environment or behave in a way that involves withholding or being very careful about what you do.
Coping With Being Anal-Retentive
What should you do if you think you have an anal personality? That all depends on whether it bothers you or the people around you.
If you have trouble making decisions or feel anxious if you don’t control your environment, it might be worthwhile speaking to a mental health professional to determine whether you might be living with something more than just a personality quirk.
Do you feel as though your anal retentive behavior is excessive or out of your control? Those are other signs that you might need to seek help. If you have trouble delegating tasks or can’t handle it when things don’t work out perfectly, this could interfere with your daily life or your ability to function at work.
All of these are signs that it may be helpful to speak to a professional.
On the other hand, if you are functioning well, aren’t bothered by your quirks, and the people around you are accepting of your personality, then it may simply be something that you learn to live with.
Summary
It’s important to remember that there is a strong distinction between being anal retentive and having a diagnosable mental health disorder. If you are living with someone who is showing signs of needing to control their environment to an extreme, it may be hard to know if this is just a personality quirk or something deeper.
If that person’s behavior appears to interfere with their daily life, causes them distress or causes distress to you or other people in their life, or they are unable to control their impulses or feel great anxiety when unable to carry out compulsions, these are all signs of something deeper than an anal personality.
On the other hand, if someone you know appears to happily clean and organize and manage their money in a way that seems odd to you but that they enjoy or brings them joy, it could be that they simply are showing signs of what Freud identified so long ago. The translation of some unmet need or conflict during childhood into an adult manifestation that is less likely to cause trouble and appears more socially acceptable.
Sources
By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master’s degree in clinical psychology.
Deal with it. It is what it is is an expression used to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that a person believes cannot be changed and must just be accepted.
WHERE DOES IT IS WHAT IT IS COME FROM?
GQ
According to the New York Times, the phrase it is what it is appeared as early as an 1949 article by J.E. Lawrence in The Nebraska State Journal. Lawrence used the phrase when describing the difficulty faced during frontier-era life in Nebraska:
“New land is harsh, and vigorous, and sturdy. It scorns evidence of weakness. There is nothing of sham or hypocrisy in it. It is what it is, without apology.”
It is what it is picked up steam in the 21st Century. A 2004 USA Today article by Gary Mihoces, titled “It is what it is,” pointed out that the phrase had become popular in sports about losses. Mihoces cited over a dozen examples of athletes and coaches using the phrase in that year alone.
Need to have that post inspected.
Played em off field but it is what it is. Halftime. No key yellow cards. No away goals conceded. Nothing easy. Never is.
It is what it is was noted in politics in 2004, when, according to The New York Times, President George W. Bush responded to an aide telling him his opponent John Kerry was leading the polls with, “It is what it is.”
Besides sports and politics, it is what it is has also seen exhaustive use in business, the military, and psychology. It’s also titled songs and even a 2001 film. Throughout these contexts, it is what it is is used as a kind of verbal shrug signaling resigned acceptance of an unchangeable situation.
For those expecting an actual solution rather than the non-solution of it is what it is, the phrase can be especially annoying. In fact, some people really dislike the term for its unhelpful vagueness…
Often times, according to critics of it is what it is, the phrase is used as an excuse by people who think the real solution is too difficult or time-consuming…
It remains to be seen if the phrase will ever shake it’s defeatist nature but for now, well, it is what it is.
EXAMPLES OF IT IS WHAT IT IS
It’s a complex issue, it’s a shame, but it is what it is.
Donald Trump quoted by Mariam Khan, ABC News, November 2018
I mean, that’s a tough one to figure out, but it is what it is. We worked hard all week to have a different outcome. We’ve just got to keep on grinding.
This is not meant to be a formal definition of it is what it is like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of it is what it is that will help our users expand their word mastery.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day[a] is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.[1] It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Some people do not observe Columbus Day at all, citing the lasting harm Indigenous tribes suffered because of Columbus’s contributions to the European colonization of the Americas.[2]
The roots of the holiday can be traced back to discussions and propositions regarding instituting it as a replacement for Columbus Day that took place in 1977 during The International NGO Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas in Geneva, Switzerland.[3] In 2021, Joe Biden formally commemorated the holiday with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, and presidential proclamations have also been issued in 2022 and 2023.[4][5][6][7] Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not a recognized holiday under U.S. Federal Law.
History
In 1977, the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas, sponsored by the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, began to discuss replacing Columbus Day in the Americas with a celebration to be known as Indigenous Peoples Day.[3][8] Similarly, Native American groups staged a sort of protest in Boston instead of Thanksgiving, which has been celebrated there to mark collaboration between Massachusetts colonists and Native Americans.[when?] In July 1990, at the First Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance in Quito, Ecuador, representatives of indigenous people throughout the Americas agreed that they would mark 1992, the 500th anniversary of the first of the voyages of Christopher Columbus, as a year to promote “continental unity” and “liberation”.[9]
After the conference, attendees from Northern California organized protests against the “Quincentennial Jubilee” that had been organized by the United States Congress for the San Francisco Bay Area on Columbus Day in 1992.[citation needed] It was to include replicas of Columbus’s ships sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and reenacting their “discovery” of America. The delegates formed the Bay Area Indian Alliance and in turn, the “Resistance 500” task force.[10] It promoted the idea that Columbus’s “discovery” of inhabited lands and the subsequent European colonization of them had resulted in the genocide of thousands of indigenous peoples because of the decisions which were made by colonial and national governments.[11][12]
In 1992, the group convinced the city council of Berkeley, California, to declare October 12 as a “Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People” and 1992 as the “Year of Indigenous People”. The city implemented related programs in schools, libraries, and museums. The city symbolically renamed Columbus Day as “Indigenous Peoples Day” beginning in 1992 to protest the historical conquest of North America by Europeans, and to call attention to the losses suffered by the Native American peoples and their cultures through diseases, warfare, massacres, and forced assimilation.[13][14]Get Lost (Again) Columbus, an opera by a Native American composer, White Cloud Wolfhawk, was produced that day.[15] Berkeley has celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day ever since.[16] Beginning in 1993, Berkeley has also held an annual pow wow and festival on Indigenous Peoples Day.[10]
In the years following Berkeley’s action, other local governments and institutions have either renamed or canceled Columbus Day, either to celebrate Native American history and cultures, to avoid celebrating Columbus and the European colonization of the Americas, or due to raised controversy over the legacy of Columbus.[17] Several other California cities, including Richmond, Santa Cruz, and Sebastopol, now celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day and encourage people to donate to a neighboring tribe and recognize the trauma and pain indigenous peoples have been subjected to by colonizers.[17]
At least thirteen states do not celebrate Columbus Day (Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin), as well as Washington, DC; South Dakota officially celebrates Native American Day instead.[18][19][20][21] Various tribal governments in Oklahoma designate the day as “Native American Day”, or have renamed the day after their own tribes.[22] In 2013, the California state legislature considered a bill, AB55, to formally replace Columbus Day with Native American Day but did not pass it.[23] While the California governor has recognized Indigenous Peoples Day, the holiday was eliminated by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2008-12 California budget crisis.[24] On August 30, 2017, following similar affirmative votes in Oberlin, Ohio,[25] followed later by Bangor, Maine, in the earlier weeks of the same month,[26] the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.[27] On October 10, 2019, just a few days before Columbus Day would be celebrated in Washington, D.C., the D.C. Council voted to temporarily replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.[28] This bill was led by Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) and must undergo congressional approval to become permanent.[28] Washington D.C., as of May 2023, has yet to have given the permanent legislation to this renaming.[citation needed]
Although it is not a federal holiday under US law, the Biden Administration has formally recognized Indigenous Peoples Day.[4][5][6][7] The first White House proclamation on the holiday was released in 2021, written with input from indigenous activists.[29][30][31]
Other celebrations
Numerous efforts in North America have honored Native American people as part of Columbus Day, or by designating two holidays for the same date.[13] Especially since Native American activism has increased since the 1960s and 1970s, a variety of protests have been staged against celebrating Columbus Day.[32] These have included mock trials of Christopher Columbus in St. Paul, Minnesota,[33] and protests and disruptions of Columbus Day parades in the United States.[34]
Indigenous peoples in other nations have also lobbied to have holidays established to recognize their contributions and history. In South America, for instance, Brazil celebrates “National Indigenous Peoples Day” on April 19.[35]
In Asia, Taiwan designated August 1 as Indigenous Peoples Day in 2016 under the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, who announced that the government is committed to promoting the rights of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and enhancing public awareness of their culture and history.[36] In the Philippines, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, as well as various local indigenous towns, designated October 29, 1987, as Indigenous Peoples Day.[37]
Some states celebrate a separate but similar Native American Day; however, this is observed not on Columbus Day but in September. Those who observe include the states of California and Tennessee. However, as of 2021, the State of California does not actually observe this holiday by closing its government offices, giving its employees paid time off, or encouraging private businesses to do the same in observance.[38] In Washington state it is celebrated the Friday immediately following the fourth Thursday in November.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
In 2003, the United Nations declared an International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, establishing it on August 9.[39] This international holiday has been celebrated also in various nations.[40][41]
Observance by jurisdiction
The following U.S. states and federal district have established Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a state holiday on the second Monday in October.[42]
Alabama (Called American Indian Heritage Day and co-celebrated with Columbus Day and Fraternal Day)[43]
Additionally, the following states have a holiday celebrating Native Americans on some other day or have recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day but not as an official holiday.
Oklahoma (Governor is required to issue a proclamation for a day celebrating each of the 39 Native American tribes of Oklahoma, on a date of the tribe’s choosing)
Indigenous Peoples’ Day has been criticized by some American conservative communities and public figures. In 2020, President Donald Trump criticized Indigenous Peoples’ Day at a campaign rally in Michigan, calling it an example of how “the radical left is eradicating our history”.[45] In 2022, the Washington Examiner published a column calling for the holiday’s end, saying that indigenous peoples attacked and conquered each other’s land.[46]
One day there was an earthquake that shook the entire Zen temple. Parts of it even collapsed. Many of the monks were terrified. 
The northern elevation of Xadia Hotel. Rendering courtesy of Marin Architects
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