As I’ve mentioned before, you are a brilliant person, so seeing this Mathnificent Word For Your Week (MWFYW) I’m sure you immediately summarized that the first three letters of the word (cyc) are at the root of a ton of other words you’re already familiar with — words like cyclone, or cycloid, or cyclical.

Though all those words have different definitions, they all draw the base of their definition from ‘cyc’, meaning “some sort of recurrent movement.” That movement is implied in botany’s definition of cyclic, “arranged as parts of a flower,” in chemistry it’s “relating to a compound that contains a closed chain or ring of atoms,” and in the mathematical branch of geometry it’s specific to “having all its vertices lying on a circle.”

I focused on the algebraic definition, where in the photo the pinwheel rotates each of its four elements – equal in power – in a recurrent movement so that the first element immediately follows the last, and the pattern repeats and repeats, never evolving in any way; it’s just sorta…there, doing it’s thing, probably bringing a lil joy to all who happen upon it. It’s fine.

When I first came across this MWFYW, it got me to realize that, huh, I was in a cyclic way of living. And it really was more than just cyclical, it was algebraically cyclic. I had given equal importance – equal power – to each of the elements in my life, in repetition.

The big thing (that I totally realized but had also pushed to the back of my brain so I could ignore it) was that I really didn’t feel like I was on the proverbial hamster wheel, going through the motions. Nope. I was fulfilled — while also being unfulfilled. I was fiiiinnnnne.

Much like Gerald in the MWFTW’s example sentence, I found where I could end those fulfilling but unfulfilling things to make room for the new motion in my life, something that would hopefully reach a 100 on the fulfillment scale. And that is precisely when Kate Loves Math* was born.

It definitely wasn’t an easy decision. I very intentionally put the brakes on, for now or maybe forever(?), physically volunteering with causes that are important to me in my community; this is the first time in 15 years that I’m not on a non-profit board. And tho I feel that my work with each of those orgs was impactful, I quite consciously transferred the power I had been giving to that element in my life, that part of my identity(!) and have now put it behind this mathtastic creation that also fills my heart — just in a different way. I made viable space for it and power to it.

We’re headed on into the reflective time of year. We’ve just completed the first week of November, which then means December and the end of 2022 (excuse me, what?) is almost upon us. I know you’re gonna naturally reflect on what is and isn’t important to you and you may consider pushing out the unimportant things in the coming months.

BUT, I’m truly curious to know: Do you feel fulfilled and unfulfilled? Are you fiiiinnnnne? Do you recognize this cyclic way of living? Are you doing something that you’ve given power to, that you would totally define as important…and realize that if you stopped its recurring motion that that would make room for something that’s been in the background in your life?

There’s no right or wrong answer, for sure, I’d just love to know — whatcha gonna do?