I’ve been choosing a ‘word of the year’ for about 4 years now. I was inspired by a friend who has been doing this… for longer than I can even remember, at this point. But every year, she faithfully chooses a new word and then writes (weekly?) updates on how she is progressing through the year with that word.

It sounds like such a fun process! Last year, I even told her I wanted to start blogging about my word… and then, for no real reason… I didn’t.

To give a bit more context, 4 years ago (2018) I chose “Purge”. As in, ‘get rid of’ my excess clutter/stuff/things, unhealthy habits (ie. going to bed too late, procrastinating, etc.), and poor mindsets (perfection, all-or-nothing). I got through the year… and hadn’t ‘purged’ much of anything. So I kept the same word for 2019. Made a little more headway on the decluttering that year (woohoo!), and felt comfortable moving forward with a new word in 2020.

My chosen word for last year was “Calm”. When I picked that word… I had no idea I would be using it during a global pandemic of Covid-19. But so many wonderful things came from having that word in the back of my mind! Whenever something started to create internal upheaval or anxiety… I actively sought out ‘calm’. If it was my nerves being fried from the constant months of Covid news and quarantine, I read scripture, took Epsom baths, drank herbal teas, and/or listened to favorite songs. When my neck and back starting aching in ways that started affecting my day-to-day living, I went to a chiropractor for the first time in my life. When a decade-old broken promise came to the front of my mind, I sought out ways to honor it respectfully… and it led to a string (and then a web) of favorite moments I will cherish forever. And despite the political climate and vitriol on both sides of the political spectrum… we played games, swam in our blow-up kiddie pool, colored patios and driveways with chalk, had dance parties, cooked fun recipes, camped in the living room for family movie nights, sipped tea at tea parties, and made some pretty special memories.

Overall, it felt pretty successful. So it feels like time to move on to a new word for 2021.

My word for 2021 is: PROGRESS.

I hope to share more of WHY I chose this particular word and HOW I am using it to shape the upcoming year, in future blog posts…