After what seems to be a long wait, the new year is here. During the past month, I mulled over my past "one words" to guide my new year. As I listened to news reports and read articles on New Year's resolutions, I wondered why the one word phenomenon was not mentioned. After all, since 2014, I have changed my thoughts on resolutions that come and go. Instead of temporary, well-meaning thoughts, I add one word to guide my journey. This word follows me throughout the year and opens possibilities for me. I look back on my list and realize that each year's one word seems to build on the next. In 2021 AARP stated, "Picking a word of the year can bring clarity and focus to who we want to become and what we want to accomplish in life." Below is the digital art with all my one words created in Buncee: openness (2014), listen (2015), believe (2016), joy (2017), hope (2018), embrace
By chance, I found a Dolly Parton song, "When Life Is Good Again", that she wrote with Kent Wells. The song with its lyrics made me think about life. The past few years have been a difficult journey for most people and now with the resurgence of another strain of COVID, plus the violence that has occurred, people need to rebuild their faith in humanity. Please listen to the song and
Below is my prewrite, a poem to usher in my one word for 2023. It just so happens that nature played a role in uncovering my word on a day, unlike other New Year's Day. Instead of winter-like weather, we enjoyed a spring-like day. Spirits were high. Life felt good again.
Enter 2023
wrapped in sunshine
feel spring breeze through trees
design a baseline
as darkness fades into light
life feels good again
sit in stillness, prewrite
fill my space with zen
be more humane and kind
find ways to right wrong
leave heartaches behind
rejoice in birdsong,
then, snuggle into winter
energizing my soul
breathe in sprinter
heart-whole
©CVarsalona, 2022
Join me this week when I reveal my one word for 2023.
If you have chosen one, please share it.
Let 2023 be the year for change, renewal, and peace!
Thank you for reading my Slice of Life. I am once again sliding into the midnight hour at Two Writing Teachers blog site, a place where teacher writers meet and share their stories.
Happy New Years to All!
Happy New Year! It is fascinating how one little word arrives and how it does its magic during the year. I am not entirely sure about my word yet.
ReplyDeleteI love the art you created to share your yearly one word mantras, and enjoyed listening to a new Dolly song I had not heard before. I love the song's message and how you were inspired to write your poem for your One Word. Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteCarol, I am all for the OLW as opposed to making resolutions that more often than not get broken. Life is certainly a difficult journey and it is up to each of us to make that journey less burdensome for ourselves as well as for others. I believe that we have the strength to do this even though we sometimes feel that we don't. I am still honing my OLW and hope it will be ready for tomorrow. A happy and healthy New Year to you and your family.
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