Looking out at the snow from my writing desk, it seemed like a great time to finally get around to my Word of the Year post.
Since 2009, I’ve been selecting a word to guide me through the year rather than doing traditional resolutions. My word acts as a sort of spiritual nucleus for the year, and often ends up influencing me in interesting ways that I’m not always actively conscious […]
Word of the Year 2017: Reach
Well, I certainly took my time getting this post up. Contrary to previous years, this delay wasn’t related to not having my word yet – I landed on it and started putting it into practice even before 2016 was out. I’ve just been neglecting my online writing in favor of old fashioned paper notebooks and forgetting to transfer the contents here.
In December I participated in the Stratejoy Holiday Council, which dovetailed […]
A Good Old-Fashioned Barn Raising: 2016 Word In Review
I should know better by now. I should know that this exercise is not one to take lightly or brush off. If I ignore it, I quickly learn that it has a sense of humor.
My word for 2016 was Build.
As I’ve mentioned before, I try not to overthink what my word of the year “means” when it comes to me. Every time I’ve tried to force it, I end up with […]
Word of the Year 2016: Build
It seems appropriate that today is the day I finally sit down to write this post, a few days overdue. My word for the year came to me several days ago but, as usual, I waited to see how it sat, to see if it was the right word after all. Now I’m sure of it.
David Bowie died last night after fighting cancer for a year and a half. He […]
Going for a Drive: 2015 Word in Review
If nothing else, my tradition of choosing a Word for the Year instead of making resolutions has brought me some serious growth.
I don’t always know at the start where the word is going to take me. I don’t have a map or clarity around it, and I never reverse engineer it by coming up with my goals first and then picking a word that matches it. I just meditate on […]
Word of the Year, 2015: Drive
I have done the Word of the Year thing for several years now, instead of resolutions. I’ve really benefitted from it. As much as I try not to be too “woo-woo” about it, I often feel as though the word chooses me and not the other way ’round. This time, I especially feel that way, because I didn’t enjoy the feeling that came over me when this word popped up.
I […]
Word of the Year 2013: Tend
Once again, my word for the year is approaching me in a (I suspect deceptively) gentle way. No flashing marquis, no fanfare. A gentle but firm hand on my shoulder, a whisper.
tend.
Garden seedlings and other tiny things need tending to be given the best chance of success.
In the fallout of my divorce (and radical life changes that went with it), I stopped giving attention to everything but basic survival. If […]
Tear It All Down, Build It Back Up
My word of the year for 2011 turned into my word for TWO years. I didn’t know at the time that invoking a seemingly harmless sentiment would change my entire life, and cause me to go basically silent here (and with my music) for an entire year.
I knew that baring myself to others, and most importantly, to myself, would require some change. I knew that I could not go on […]
On Little Feet With No Socks
…that’s how my “Word For the Year” crept up on me.
No fireworks, no grand visions of expansion and explosive wealth. At first, I didn’t want to admit that this small little thing was actually my word. It wasn’t fancy. It didn’t imply that I would be rolling in money by the end of the year. It didn’t instantly propel me toward massive overhaul of the Self. Also, it did not […]
Smoke
I fully intended to wake up for the eclipse last night. When the alarm went off, I tried to keep my eyes open, but instead I kept falling right back to sleep. So, rather than spending the longest, darkest night of the year huddled against the cold and staring up at the sky in awe, I spent it curled warmly in bed. I’ve had worse nights.
Some of my friends tell […]