Tenacity!

Warning...graphic photo!  A friend of mine (Thanks Tiffany) posted this on her Facebook feed.  I liked it, and my comment was "tenacity".  I knew what that word meant, but I googled the definition anyway, and I liked it even more.  First, because I had no idea it literally meant the ability to "grip something firmly", but more so because it means

"the quality or fact of continuing to exist;  persistence." 

Damn straight.  I will continue to exist.  

Tenacity.  

My word of the year.

te·nac·i·ty

təˈnasədē/

noun

1. the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly; grip.

   
   

   "the sheer tenacity of the limpet"

   
   

   synonyms:

   persistence, determination, perseverance, doggedness, strength of purpose, tirelessness, indefatigability, resolution, resoluteness, resolve, firmness, patience, purposefulness, staunchness, steadfastness, staying power, endurance, stamina, stubbornness, intransigence, obstinacy, obduracy, pertinacity "she practices her gymnastics routine with the tenacity of a bulldog"

   • the quality or fact of being very determined; determination.

     
     

     "you have to admire the tenacity of these two guys"
   • the quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence.

     
     

     "the tenacity of certain myths within the historical record"