You can dig back in the archives of this site and see that I have been sharing a Word for my Year for almost as long as I’ve been writing.
A dedicated hater of New Year’s resolutions, I long ago decided setting an intention worked better for me. I do believe that as we look forward, we need a goal, a roadmap, a purpose in getting where we want to be. And for many years these words have written my story, moved me across continents, and into both starting big projects and ending them.
TRANQUIL. GRATITUDE. STIRRING. BALANCE. STEADY. PRESENT. PEOPLE. STREAMLINED. ENOUGH
They have helped me figure out what to hold on to and what to let go of in this crazy culture where so much is offered… and through that offering, sometimes so much is taken away.
Family time skiing at Snowbasin Resort and Alta, UT
This last week I’ve been twirling my thumbs. I am trigger shy. I feel done setting intentions, goals, or whatever you want to call it. The last few months have been wild and everything I set my energy towards flipped upside down, inside out, and opposite from what was both expected and intended.
Do you ever feel like you are working so hard, spinning your wheels but going nowhere?
And so I sit here, wondering if I should set a new intention and if so what it should be. Like a turtle, I want to hunker down in my shell and yell “Survive!” Maybe I just try to survive the chaos?
Don’t get me wrong, this year we have been fully blessed. We have nothing to grip about. But I’ve also realized that the stress involved in change often requires a time of healing afterwards.
Backcountry skiing with our older kids
Last Year’s Word:
Enough (adj.)
- adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire:
I pull up last year’s word, and honestly expect another feeling of dis-accomplishment (Yes, that is a word now.) But I am surprised. Perhaps enough was the perfect intention to set for my year of unexpected waiting and transition. I have enough. I am enough. I’ve been given enough. And though life was wild and energy sapping for the last few months, in the end God was enough.
And as I look back on our year of crazy job changes, a few health worries, schooling doubts and general wonderment on where this crazy train is taking us, I find us in a much better place than where we started 2019. And we went many amazing places along the way. Maybe I should set another intention for this next year?
Traveling through the Mojave Desert
My Word for 2020
The truth is, no matter how tired I am from life, I don’t just want to hunker down and survive. I’d rather take ground, even if it is just a little bit.
So without much ado:
Cultivate (vb.)
1. to promote or improve the growth of (something) by labor and attention.2. to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine3. to promote the growth, foster.
I want to cultivate or develop a quality or sentiment of joy and peace. To cultivate joy in simple daily life. To cultivate real rest. To cultivate authentic community. To continue cultivating the family dynamic we’ve been aiming for all along. Pieces of it have come into clearer focus as the kids have grown, but will need careful tending as we move into the Jr. High / High School years.
Family travel in Valley of Fire State Park, NV
How about you? What do you want to cultivate in your family? What action steps can you take along that journey?
What is your word for the year?