What's my word?

An excerpt from Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love":

If you could read people's thoughts as they were passing you on the streets of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought. Whatever that majority thought might be - that is the word of the city. And if your personal word does not match the word of the city, then you don't really belong there.
"What's Rome's word?" I asked.
"SEX", he announced.
"But isn't that a stereotype about Rome?"
"No."
"But surely there are some people in Rome thinking about other things than sex?"
Giulio insisted: "No. All of them, all day, all they are thinking about is SEX."
"Even over at the Vatican?"
"That's different. The Vatican isn't part of Rome. They have a different word over there. Their word is POWER."
"You'd think it would be FAITH."
"It's POWER," he repeated. "Trust me. But the word in ROME - it's SEX."

Now if you are to believe Giulio, that little word - SEX - cobbles the streets beneath your feet in Rome, runs through the fountains here, fills the air like traffic noise. Thinking about it, dressing for it, seeking it, considering it, refusing it, making a sport and game out of it - that's all anybody is doing. Which would make a bit of sense as to why, for all its gorgeousness, Rome doesn't quite feel like my hometown. Not at this moment in my life. Because SEX isn't my word right now. It has been at other times of my life, but it isn't right now. Therefore, Rome's word, as it spins through the streets, just bumps against me and tumbles off, leaving no impact. I'm not participating in the word, so I'm not fully living here. It's a kooky theory, impossible to prove, but I sort of like it.

Giulio asked, "What's the word in New York City?"
I thought about this for a moment, then decided. "It's a verb, of course, I think it's ACHIEVE."
(Which is subtly but significantly different from the word in Los Angeles, I believe, which is also a verb: SUCCEED. Later, I will share this theory with my Swedish friend Sofie, and she will offer her opinion that the word on the streets of Stockholm is CONFORM, which depresses both of us.)"

___________________________________________________________

So what's my word?

Now that, I definitely cannot answer.

It's not SEX for sure. I can't even seem to remember the last time. SEX must have been my word some years back. It's not MARRIAGE, that's evident too. FAMILY? Nah. I am staying alone in NYC and happy about it. Am I entirely inhabiting New York City's word - ACHIEVE? I guess to some extent..maybe, I am not sure. Is my word PATIENCE? I am patiently awaiting the next few months, for decisions to be made, for new commitments to be made, for things to change, for new things to happen, for old bad occurences to pass. Yes, PATIENCE, maybe that's my word. It does not overall fit into NYC's word, and maybe that's why I am not that happy here. But yes, PATIENCE, it is....