This is the eighth year my family has chosen their one word to focus on for the year. This year we decorated a paper mache letter; the first letter of our first name.
As you can see my word is MILES.
There are a number of factors that are connected to my word, from wanting to walk more (putting miles on my shoes) to taking another family vacation (putting miles on the car). I also have goals for my writing (putting miles on my computer and pen) and sending my work for consideration to more places (couldn’t think of a clever ‘putting miles on’ saying for this, so consider thinking of your own play on words here).
I’ll try to keep you updated on the miles I travel, in some form, this year. Here is to a great year ahead and the scenery I’ll encounter as I travel from this day.
Well, somehow we survived 2020. To be honest, though, I’m not sure how we will do in 2021. There is too much hate, apathy, and disregard of the sacredness of life for me to be fully hopeful that 2021 will be any better. I know this post is starting out on a negative vibe, but it is honest. No, HONEST is not my word for this year, but being honest with myself did lead me to my word for 2021.
LIVE, as in live music, is my word for 2021.
There are a number of factors that influenced my choice.
First is my poetry. As soon as possible, I will be attending open mic events. I also have some social media ideas that I will be investigating to share my poetry. As much as possible I want to present my works to the world. Where will these steps take me? I don’t know… and that is the exciting part.
Second, I want my everyday life to be more live. Meaning that this year I don’t spend valuable time behind a screen. I am live in my own life. I am there for my family and friends. I am there for my goals. It is too easy to feel like I am doing something when I check my Instagram feed, or Twitter. It feels like I have accomplished something when I complete a level on a match-three game. But, honestly, I have done nothing.
Maybe because I will turn 50 this year, but the third aspect of my word is to be thankful for this life by living it… yes, this connects to point two, but is deeper than just putting down the phone. There is a spiritual aspect to living. No matter what you might believe, we only get today. And our life is the collection of these days. Making sure I am live each day is one way to pay respects to this chance I have. To be thankful for the love of family and friends. To make this world a better place, even if it is just in my home…it’s the best place I know to start.
So, here is to a new year, 2021.
Here is to new poems and opportunities.
Here is to today being lived in front of a live audience.
But I will get to that in a moment. First, I do have some resolutions this year and I am going to share them in this post. My plan is to update my progress on my resolutions through a blog post each month. It is a way to be held accountable for my goals. SO, here are my resolutions.
Weigh 200 pounds by Dec 31, 2020. Current weight: 221.
Have an average screen time of just two hours a day. Current average is 4.5 hours a day.
Read sixty books in 2020.
Write the blog that takes me over 100,000 words posted on my main blog, It is all Connected. Current word count: 93332 (And I have a plan for the 100,000 word…).
Publish my poetry book, These Words Believe in Ghosts.
Publish one of my fiction books that I have in drafts.
As the year progresses, I will keep you updated.
So, it is time for my one word for the year…
I really struggled finding the right word for my vision for this year. Even this word doesn’t “click” as a perfect fit, but it will work. The simple idea is to have experiences that leave me and others saying, “That was cool!” Simple enough.
Thank you for reading in 2019. I look forward to sharing more posts with you in 2020… and maybe even hearing from you in the comment section how cool the post was. Happy New Year!
It is only a few hours until 2019. I am ready for the new year for a number of reasons, which I won’t get into for this post, but I am excited for 2019 because of the word I chose for the new year: Write.
My focus for 2019 will be on my writing; on my poetry, my blog, and my novel ideas. I have already entered a chapbook contest with Button Poetry. I will be performing at some open-mics in Lincoln and Omaha. I have a first draft of a new novel done (time to edit that) and have scenes written for two other books. This is the year I breakthrough.
Over the next year I have all my past blog posts from this blog, from my education blog (Ideas for Education) and my creative blog (Creative Corner) scheduled to run on the day I posted something from that blog. That is 354 past posts… some days have content from all three blogs.
If you have enjoyed any of my writings, let me know, or share a post with someone who would enjoy reading it. Don’t forget you can add to your collection of books with one of my books: Amazon Author Page.
Here is to a fantastic 2019! Share your word of the year in the comment section.
I was chatting with my five and four year-old daughters a few minutes ago as a part of our normal good night routine. After the teeth are brushed and the books are read, I lay on the floor talking with my daughters. My five year-old asked if they drank from a bottle would they be babies again. I said no, you don’t get to go backwards.
The girls moved on to asking when we would get to go to the hotel again. Over Thanksgiving we got to stay in a hotel with a pool. The girls still talk about it. I said that yes, we would get to stay in a hotel again. My five year-old let out her trademark, “Yeesss!”
And there it is… the heartache and the joy of life. You can’t go back, but there is so much to look forward to.
As 2013 comes to a close and look forward to 2014, we all take this moment to gather our thoughts about the past year. There is nothing I can write that will change anything that has happen in 2013. As I found the YouTube video above, I was flooded with emotion for Mr. Monter, who passed away this year. Our paths had diverged a few years ago, but the time we spent working together was important to my development as a teacher and a person. But it is not just Mr. Monter that I miss. I miss my family and my friends. I know that my life will not mean much to the grand scheme of life, but the relationships I have make the world of difference right now.
Yes, I have made my New Year resolutions. One of them is centered on building stronger relationships with people who matter the most to me.
But 2014 will be here tomorrow, in fact in about three hours, and that means opportunities. Chances to fulfill dreams. Maybe because I am now in my forties, I have a different sense of the importance of each day. I want to make each day feel like how my five year-old would say, “Yeesss!”
It is all Connected 