The Struggles of Using Synonyms

Every time I go to write something, I come across the same problem every single time. Synonyms. They are important, yet they are like a bump in the road every time you want to find another way to say something. I come across this issue very often in my blog posts. For example, right there in my last sentence, the words "come across" were what automatically came to mind when I was writing the sentence, then I realised I had just used those very words moments ago. And so the trek to find the right synonym begins. So instead of using the same words, as much as I think they fit really well in the sentence, I use something else. So for "come across" I might use "run into". And that's only if I'm lucky enough to find a synonym that suits what I'm trying to say.

Synonym: 

noun

A word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.

It is because of synonyms that writing can be so dreadfully hard. You flow along fine for the first few sentences, then poof, you run into a word you've already used... Sometimes you can be lucky and find the perfect synonym, and other times it's like treading through mud, searching high and low for that perfect word to fill a sentence.

One of the words that gives me the most trouble, and I assume for many others as well, is beautiful. Yes there are other words, but I always find myself looking combing through that oh so very long list of similar words (unfortunately there is no perfect synonym for "word", which is why it will end up being a very prominent word in this blog), to find uncover something of a similar comparable nature. There just isn't much else like the word "beautiful", is there? Nothing else, no matter how hard one might try, really achieves the same effect! Of course it has a lot more options than "word" itself, but I still find it a challenging word to replace.

While writing this post I have searched for 15 synonyms (including the rest of this post), over 5 of which are failed attempts. Sometimes I find myself looking for synonyms every two sentences, and other times I don't end up needing that many. It depends on what I'm writing, I suppose, but it is one of those things that annoys me, because finding coming upon the perfect ( yet another word I struggle to replace) word can be quite a struggle! Even a synonym for the word "struggle" is hard to acquire when in a certain context. Basically, synonyms are the one thing that can make us spend more time writing something than we intended. I suppose we've gotten too comfortable with a set amount of words, so when in need of a synonym, we find it hard to let go of the word we originally wanted to use. And that is my experience with synonyms. Something quite necessary, yet we don't always use a big enough range of them.

-Sarah

The words that are striked through are examples of some of the words that I changed to synonyms today.

Adventure | My Mission Story: A Feeling of Home

In a previous post, I shared some memories from my adventure in Mexico last summer. Today, I would like to share something with you. Something that, I suppose, encapsulates my experience in Mexico. That something is my mission story. I wrote it a little while after my mission as part of my role as a student volunteer, and it was featured on the Operation Smile Ireland website as well as their Autumn/Winter 2014 newsletter. It even got featured in my church Tidings. I felt rather proud that my story had been shared with others, but I never once thought of sharing it here, on my blog! So I am finally sharing my mission story, A Feeling of Home, with all of you. I could write more about many stories and certain people that I met, but for today, I leave you with a summary of my thoughts on my first ever medical mission with Operation Smile.

Sarah xxx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This year I got to experience something very different and inspiring. I had the chance to go on a mission in August with Operation Smile to Ecatepec, Mexico. For me, the charity is close to my heart, because I was born with a unilateral cleft lip and a cleft palate. There, in Mexico, I felt at home amongst those with cleft lips and palates. Many of the patients were having revision surgeries done, so it was even more familiar to see their scars, something I see every time I look in the mirror.

I know that if my mother had been there, it would have been an emotional rollercoaster for her. I had expected to cry a lot more, but despite that, it was still very moving and important to me. If my mother had been there, I probably would have ended up crying a lot more! One touching moment was when the mothers cried. The first time I saw them cry, I cried a little myself. Isn’t it funny how we worry as human beings, even though we know that it will all be alright in the end? All these mothers were so worried, so I tried to reassure them that everything would work out just fine, and that it’s normal to be emotional. I showed them a photograph of myself as a baby, which also seemed to help.

Being able to share my experience as someone who grew up going to hospitals and dental appointments my whole life, was great. Years ago, when I was a child, some other kids bullied me about my lip. Now, I am able to tell people about my clefts without being judged. More people listen, and it was especially nice to be able to speak about my life experience with so many people who are going through something similar.

One of the most astonishing things that I saw on my mission, were all the adults that came for surgeries. It’s horrible to think that they have lived with either a badly repaired cleft, or an unrepaired cleft, their whole life. I can’t imagine what sort of life that could have given them, except that if anyone was a cruel as they were to me as a child, it must have been dreadful for them. All I can hope now is that they live the rest of their lives much happier than before.

The children on my mission were so full of life and enthusiasm; it is hard to believe that some of them could be rejected by other children. Just thinking about those kids makes me smile. They were kind, energetic, and above all, beautiful in their own way. I will never forget my adventure in Mexico, from all those smiles, to spending a great time with my team members.  Each moment is precious, and the memories will certainly be carried throughout my life and beyond; through my stories, videos, and photographs. I will never forget that in that brief time, surrounded by all these people, I felt at home.

Haul | Primark/Penneys Mini Haul

So I've been trying to find new ways to tidy and decorate my room, and decided to go and buy a few things to give my room a new edge. Instead, I ended up not really getting much for my room, rather a (small) assortment of things. I went to Primark (Penneys in Ireland) twice, and so I thought I might do a haul here on my blog. 

The only thing that I bought that is actually for my room, is a scented candle. It's called Winter Rose. I chose it because it hasn't got too strong a smell, but it's enough to fill the room with a nice faint scent. I also like the colour, a pretty light pink. I'd never actually used scented candles in my room before, so I thought it would be nice to try it out for once. I think that starting with a subtle scent is probably best, plus it's not just about the smell, but also the aesthetics. Candles are so pretty and atmospheric! I used to be afraid of lighting a candle, just because I hated fire, but now it doesn't bother me, so it was high time I got a candle for my room!

I also got a travel bottle kit that includes all sorts of different types of bottles and containers. I find these really handy for going away, even when you have a registered case, because it means you don't have to carry a whole bottle of shampoo or lotion, or whatever you might bring with you on holidays. I just found this particular kit to be useful, as it contains a bottle with a dispenser and a cylinder to make pouring a lot easier!




As well as getting the travel bottle kit, I got more cosmetic jars, as I thought they might come in handy not just for travelling, but for use at home too. They don't even have to only be used for cosmetics- you could store jewellery, sequins or something else! I just find these really great for storage in general.

This next one is something I always seem to lack, that I need almost everyday. Ankle socks! I'm always searching through my sock drawer, especially during spring and summer for them, and I can never seem to have enough. They are so useful to have. I was just in line for the till when I saw them, so I just grabbed them as they were my size (I have small feet, so it's hard to find ankle socks that fit!), and I was in need of more. I have plenty of normal length socks, but never enough ankle ones!

The last thing I'm going to talk about, is something that I sort of treated myself to. Not a necessity, but it is always nice to buy a little present for yourself now and again! I saw this scarf and completely fell in love with it! I have many scarves in different shades of blues and greens, but not this particular style or pattern. I found it so lovely I just had to get it!

So that's it for the mini haul, I hope you enjoyed reading this :) Let me know if you want more hauls in the future in the comments below.

Until next week,

Sarah xxx