Have you seen the many "Word of the Year" posts popping up around the blogsphere lately? Layla over at The Lettered Cottage decided to host a party and encourage all of her bloggy friends to take the time to choose a “Word of the Year” for themselves. Over the last few days I have been visiting many of the blogs that have decided to take the challenge and chose a word that defines their focus for the year. The word chosen is a word that will inspire thoughts, actions and define goals for the year ahead. As I began reading these blog posts by my fellow bloggers, I was immediately drawn to this idea for myself. I am not the type of person that makes resolutions for the New Year. In the past, when I have decided to write a list of resolutions, I have rarely been successful at checking off all the items on my list. I have found that life rarely goes as planned and that it almost never leads you down the path you expect to be traveling. The resolutions I made on January 1st are totally off my radar or way down on my priority list just a few months later. Choosing a word to focus on for the year allows me to live my life as it comes, but enables me to remind myself, during all the twists and turns, who I want to be and what I want to accomplish during my journey.
So, after much reflection and thought my word for 2012 is....
I saw this quote on Pinterest and I knew that “Present” was the perfect word for the direction I want to go this year.
To be present in each moment in my life is the best “present” I can give to myself and the people I love. All too often, I find myself dreaming of the future and pondering the past. Waiting for the next best thing, while taking for granted the many great things in my life right now. I forget that each day that passes is a day I can never get back. I forget that my kids are only this age once. I forget that each day is a gift and that I should treat it as such. And so, in 2012, I will be more present. I will take every opportunity to enjoy the moment, be more engaged and live my life more consciously. I will choose to make each day worth remembering by being present in it. I will show the people I love how thankful I am for their presence in my life, by being present in theirs. I know there will still be days that fly by, leaving me to wonder where the time has gone and if I had accomplished anything worthwhile in the day. But, I also know that by choosing “present” as my word for this year, I will make a more concerted effort to live my life in a way that displays the immeasurable gratitude I have for the gift of each day that has been given to me.
And so I sit here, writing this post, being present in the moment, and feeling an overwhelming sense of appreciation for each of you who come to visit my blog and allow me to have a small presence in your lives. Thank you.
What do you think of the “Word of the Year” idea? If you have a word for 2012, I would love to hear about it.
I'll be joining Layla's Word of the Year Party, here.
PS - I haven't forgotten that I promised you a DIY project today, but life got in the way ;) and I need a couple more days to complete it. I promise to post about it this week.
