One Word: 2019 Edition

Have you ever heard of the one word or intention for the year thing? Yes? No? Love it? Loathe it? Couldn't care less? Move along then. There's nothing here for you. Unless I can convert you.

You see. I'm a convert. I previously scoffed at such a thing. Seemed like a load of hippy drippy bullocks to me. However, I had an epiphany of sorts. It occurred to me that I was being a sour old cynical negative Nellie. The process is helpful to many, and if it doesn't work out well, no harm done. Besides, I quite like words in general. I like reading them, I like writing them, so why not choose one of them for the year?

Look, clearly I'll never be one of those positive Polly's, but I don't have a cynical b!+$h all the time either.

So with that in mind, I resolved to embrace the concept. The results have been tenuous to say the least.

My word for 2017 was MOVE.  I was hoping to form a strong exercise habit, like I have in the past. However,  I proceeded to take this word as more of a light suggestion. Oops. There was some movement but not quite as much as there could have been.  

For 2018 I decided to address my inner mean girl with some self-compassion. Therefore my word was COMPASSION. Mixed results yet again. I have made some strides in being kinder to myself, however I consider it to be still a work in progress.

I find myself in the interesting quandary or dichotomy of needing to be kinder to myself, yet also needing to require more of myself. See above. Self-compassion and self-care isn't just about eating cake and being indulgent. And...erm... not moving. Dammit.

So yeah, still working on it, as I mentioned. This brings me to the current year.

I mulled over what word to choose for 2019. There are so many frightfully good words.  In the end I decided to keep it simple.  

My word for 2018 is...  drum roll, please (you have to imagine it...):

LOVE

Basic old love. Here's why:

• It segues nicely from my 2018 word COMPASSION.
• I  still need a reminder to be more loving and kinder to myself.
• I am lucky and blessed to have so much love in my life even when I am not very lovable.
• Some folk think you cannot be loved until you completely love yourself. I am living proof that's not true. See above. 
• What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of. OK, that's a Burt Bacharach song, but still. Relevant.
• Like I said, I love words. I love books. I love my family.  And yes, I DO love cake. Anything wrong with that? 
• The overriding theme of most Carpenters songs is love.
• Ditto Montgomery books.
• I suspect I'm a softie and incurable romantic at heart despite all my surface cynicism. Yeah, I'm not fooling anyone with all that. I know.
• Love is a groovy thing. It knows how to make you sing. And it fills up your life with sunshine and joy. OK, that's the words to a little known Carpenters song, but again. Relevant. See above.

• I'm not setting myself up to fail but choosing such a delightful word. And you never know, I may just learn to love moving again anyway. Perhaps not as much as cake, but anything is better than nothing. 
• I think this process is supposed to be an intention not a just a word.  So celebrating love and being loving to myself and others seems like a pretty good thing to me. 
• Ultimately this seems like a much more beneficial thing that a new year's resolution, which always seem to be about weight loss. And, if you're like me, always always seem to be to broken. Usually on January 1st. Forgeddaboutit. (Totally a word - maybe that should be my word?!!).

So there you have it. My word and intention for 2019 is all about LURRRRVE.  

And now it's back to some Burt Bacharach to fade out.  Again, you have to imagine it, or clink on the link below. As sung by Dionne Warwick. Because as brilliant a composer as Burt is, he ain't no singer. 

Sing it with me! What the world needs now....!!!

Do you have a word or intention?