Sunday, January 3, 2021

My One Little Word for 2021

Last December, I loved my word for 2020. Wow. It seemed like a word with so many possibilities, so many meanings, so much flexibility. Little did I know how many moments of wow the year would bring. Little did I know how many different reasons I'd say the word wow. Little did I like how many wows involved head shakes and closed eyes.

This will be the ninth year that I've chosen a word, and this has been the year when I've had the most trouble. My words are all important to me, some more than others. I'd even like to take on some of them again-- is that allowed? -- but I have been trying to come up with a word that is new, a word that will lead me to grow. My favorite words have historically offered a double meaning. Think about the different ways to use the word present, or brave, or rest. My wow of 2020 didn't go so well in terms of all the meanings, so I'm a little less resistant to a word with a single meaning.

Even though it's becoming a cliché, I think it's fair to say that 2020 taught me a lot. My best parts of 2020 happened when I focused on being present in a moment. Since I have already used present as a word, my word for 2021 will be moment. I like it. It has the power to ground me, to make me pay attention, to remind me to be present and prioritize the people in front of me and the place where I am. And, in a very small way, one that is perhaps only immediately apparent to me, it has a connection to my wow of 2020. If you ask me about that connection, maybe I'll share!

So here it is, my word for 2021: Moment.



May my moments matter. May I stop to enjoy them. May I find the joy that the pause for moments has the power to provide.

Happy New Year, Everyone!



8 comments:

  1. I think moment is an important word in this world where we miss so much of the now trying to document it w/ our photos, tweets, and other distractions. It seems to me moment offers a chance to pause, as in saying “one moment, please” or requesting a moment. I like the word very much.

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  2. I love your explanation! I actually did repeat a OLW (2014 and 2017), but only because I had not looked at what I had chosen previously. May you have many moments that fill your heart.

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  3. Those last lines on "moment" are a "wow" in themselves, Melanie. I am reminded that being present and listening are powerful gifts. Many moments of joy (and still wow!) to you in 2021.

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  4. We have a poem in Estonian that loosely translates: there aren't any good or bad times, only the moment we live in now. As you string your moments, may they add up to a beautiful 2021.

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  5. Mel, I love all the comments you received thus far and concur wholeheartedly that your word moment bears such promise and opportunity. A wise relative just advised me the other day to work to achieve a "meditative state on my feet", to let myself be guided in the moment. Your word is inspirational, and may it serve you well in this new year. Miss you, my friend.

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  6. This is a good choice, I think. This is my 13th year choosing an OLW, and I did repeat one once.

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  7. I like MOMENT! I think it is a good reminder to focus on the here and now and also to savor the special times that we are lucky to experience.

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  8. I look through your list from year to year.

    It's poetry.

    Just stopping to think at all the growth and evolution that rests BEHIND those unassuming piles of letters.

    And what I love about your word this year - moment - is that it strikes with urgency. Moment. NOW. Look NOW. Listen NOW. Love NOW, in this moment.

    Wonderful post.

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