As the years have gone by, I’ve gone through a few cycles of New Year’s rituals. As a child, I used to spread out things on my bed that reflected what I wanted in the new year. Unsurprisingly, this hodgepodge always included a stack of books, my journal, and my flute. In my early twenties, I started writing New Year’s letters to myself, condensing all the events of the past year. But then I started writing in my journal regularly again, and I abandoned that project after a few years. (I sort of regret that I didn’t continue.) More recently, I’ve been choosing a word every year to reflect something I want to keep in mind for the coming year.

In 2014, that word was ACCEPT, a reminder that still calms me in situations where I can’t control the outcome. In 2016 it was BRAVE, and I still carry my Gryffindor keychain to remind me to identify fear and choose to overcome it. My 2017 word, ENGAGE, prompted me to put myself out there. I ended up joining a wonderful book club and submitting my writing to more places, which led to more publication credits and even an award.

Given the success of previous words, I put a lot of thought into what the word of 2018 should be, but the decision was easy in the end: as soon as I hit on it, I knew it was just what I needed.

My word for 2018 will be LIGHT.

When I look back on these few years where my two kids are young, I’m probably going to wonder how I did it all: teach full time, parent, write novels, take care of the house and nurture family relationships, read a hundred books in a year, etc. It’s clearly the busiest time of my life– not the worst, or the hardest, but definitely the most full– and sometimes that weighs me down. Sometimes I get bogged down in the minutiae, executing items on a list instead of stepping back and seeing the big picture. I don’t want life to feel like a burden, but sometimes it feels a bit hard to carry all the responsibilities I’m shouldering.

The answer: I need to intentionally nurture LIGHT. I need moments that take me out of the everyday. I need humor, delight, freedom. I want to live with a light heart, and see every day as a blessed gift instead of a series of tasks.

Here are a few ways I can nurture LIGHT in 2018:

• Read funny books.
• Listen to humorous podcasts. (Any recommendations?)
• Take a moment during the busiest part of my morning to stop and breathe.
• Find a regular task that I can link to a moment of gratitude, such as opening a door or getting up from a chair.
• Dance more often, especially with my children and my young students.
• Sign up for a joke-of-the-day email.
• Stay mindful of things that fill me with delight: flowers, birds chirping, the smell of baking bread.

Does anyone have suggestions for me on how I can keep it LIGHT in 2018? 

What’s your word of the year? 

Hey– if you haven’t signed up for The Perspective Post yet, now’s a great time! My most recent email included a more detailed story on how I came to choose LIGHT for 2018. It involved, of all things, a flute lesson. Read the email here, then sign up for monthly doses of perspective using the newsletter tab.