in a word (2008)

I’ve been percolating for some time now, trying to let my thoughts bubble until the perfect “one little word” for 2008 rises to the top. After much thought, I’m realizing that it’s hard to come up with just one word around which to build my year. I wanted to start with a verb, an action I can carry out and prove I’ve done. I’d wanted to have a word that reflected my hopes for the world around me, as well as for myself. I’ve considered peace, simplify, balance, consciousness… all good words, and ones worth focusing on, at that. But none are quite ringing true as my one word for the next 360+ days.

The phrase, “Life’s a journey, not a destination,” keeps flashing into my mind as I debate. How true. Sometimes I focus so much of my energies and efforts on the end result, my mental, physical, or emotional “destination,” I forget to consider the steps I take to get there. I forget to appreciate my starting point, too. That’s a lot of moments missed, a lot of present lost to thoughts of the future, a lot of places passed by unseen. I want to own a home (and therefore do not always appreciate the one we rent now). I want to teach scrapbooking classes (and therefore stress over the completion of samples instead of enjoying my play with paper and glue). I want to see my husband’s bad habits change (and therefore fail to show him that I love who he already is).

I don’t want to keep my mind so set on where I’m going that I miss the opportunities to do, feel, and be good along the way. I want to take pleasure in the journey of my life.

So I think that this year, I will try to keep my focus less on my destinations and more on appreciating the paths I take to get there. The journey.