word for the year

My birthday is coming in a few days, and it always feels like a very reflective and contemplative moment for me. I love looking back on the past year. I went back to the blog list I wrote before my birthday last year, and I was surprised to see that I’d chosen a word for my twenty-seventh year! I’d completely forgotten, maybe since the very day I chose it! I had to read my post to even find out what the word had been, wondering if it would feel relevant at all. 

The word was “groundedness.” I chuckled when I saw it, and told Nate. At first it seemed laughable because so much of life feels chaotic and demanding and constant and fast-paced. When I hear “grounded,” I think back to times of my life when life was so much simpler, easier, and more straightforward. I see myself outside my apartment in BC, reading and resting in the sunshine by the creek. I see myself on a paddle-board off the coast of White Rock. I see myself doing my consistent morning and evening routines in the cabin I lived in before my master’s program. 

Life at the moment isn’t much like those “grounded” experiences at all. My mental and physical space centers largely around our two daughters, girls I’d never met two years ago. Trying to keep up with the learning curve of this parenting life feels crazy a lot of the time, and so I laughed at the word “groundedness.” 

But as I mulled it over for a minute, I thought of it a different way. 

A few months ago I was presented with the saying, “Enjoy the doing, not just the getting done.” I wrote it on a sticky note and put it up in the kitchen, where life seems to mostly happen. I kept reading it over and over, and taking it to heart. Only having our girls part of the time has meant we treasure those moments with have with them so much more. We put everything aside to be present with them. That’s a form of grounded, I think.

And perhaps another way I’ve been “grounded” this year in a not-so-peaceful-and-picturesque way is by being taken back to the basics of life by our kids. Being reminded of the magic of snowflakes, the challenge of somersaults, the wonder of picture books, the worlds of dolls and beanie babies and imagination. Remembering the importance of simple things, like kind acts for neighbors or encouraging words or caring for our bodies. 

I’ve spent more time planning meals and getting kids dressed this year than I have spent thinking “deeply” about big stuff like theology or destiny or truth. But I guess in a sense, this is groundedness in a whole different way. A kind that connects me to every human, every mother, that’s ever lived and spent her days meeting the needs of small humans. 

So I am grateful for this year. For the ways it was grounded, even as there are ways that groundedness can continue to grow. 

And for this year? For twenty-eight? What word do I want to give myself (and maybe actually remember)? I’m not sure yet. I have a few more days to think it over. Maybe when I’ve settled on it, I’ll come back to this post and edit it to add in my word. I have a feeling it will be something to do with maintaining optimism, continuing to look on the bright side and trust that things are going to work themselves out. We’ll see!