“And.”

My sister gave me this great book for Christmas: 200 Women, by Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday.

It’s basically interviews with 200 women, from all over the world — some famous, some not — all beautifully photographed (by Kieran E. Scott) and all answering these five “simple” questions:

• What really matters to you?
• What brings you happiness?
• What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
• What would you change if you could?
• What single word do you most identify with?

I love the concept and have been thinking about how I would have answered the questions. Especially the last one:

What single word do I most identify with?

“Creative,” came to my mind right away. Also “Expressive.” And “Buoyant.” Quite a lot of the women in the book chose “Courage” or “Love” or “Gratitude.” (A couple chose: “Fuck.”)

But the answer I like best is: “And.”

That’s the single word Margaret Atwood most identifies with. “And.” She explains, “It means there is always something more.”

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I’m going with that!