What would your one word be?

     This morning after finishing a workout, I sat down with friends in the gym and talked for 1.5 hrs.  If you know me well, this isn't surprising.  ;)  At one point I asked if anyone had made resolutions for the new year, especially because our gym just started a nutrition challenge.  I noted that I don't really like new year resolutions.  I find that if I need to change something, I do it.  I don't need to have a date to start.  The conversation kind of went on from there and meandered elsewhere. 

     I didn't really think about the subject matter again until I read something from Melinda Gates.  She said that instead of setting resolutions in the new year, she adopts one word for the year... one that encapsulates her wishes for the next 12 months.  That totally struck a chord with me, and it seems so simple that it could actually stick!  In case you're wondering, her word from last year was "grace," and she even wrote it on a mirror to remind herself.  Read her blog post HERE to find out her word for this year and to be inspired by a beautiful woman.

     Obviously, I read the comments from people hoping to get "ideas" for myself about good intentions/words.  More importantly, I began to think for myself.  ;) First of all, I wanted to reflect on my goals as a person.  Being at home, it's not like I have a plan for the next 6 months on what I'd like to accomplish in my job.  I do well as President of Domestic Affairs, but my daily goals are kind of repetitive or unchanging for days.  I strongly desire to keep my children healthy, alive, thriving, and focused on the right things!  I anticipate needs, moods, desires from 4 other people each day that in turn shape my daily decisions.  Honestly, I've worked so much on being present in the moment that I sometimes have no idea what I need to do the next day or next half of the current day I'm in!  (Thank goodness for Google calendar and it syncing in my car to show me a pop-up reminder whenever I get inside.)  I balance jumping ahead in my mind and glancing at what's to come with staying grounded in the present to take in and enjoy what little time I have left with my boys.

     So, if I'm being straight, my word for the year would have less to do with my "job" and more to do with helping me to become a better person each day.  If I strive to be the change I want to see in the world, then the possibilities are endless!  ;)  I want to see more acceptance, less judgment, more empathy, the absence of inequality, no racism, more tolerance, less selfishness, more open-mindedness, and hear more honesty.  I think that list could be in the hundreds, but I've only got a year to work with and need to narrow it down to one word, remember?  So, I think I've got my word!  As soon as it popped into my mind, I felt peace.  I felt a vastness of heart.  It's "open." 

     I'm going to be more open each day in 2019.  As I just thought of it, I'm not sure how I'll put it into motion, but it seems to me that it'll spawn different actions depending on circumstance.  I could be more open to listening to someone.  I could be open to experience and stepping into an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation.  I might open my heart more to those around me or across the globe.  Thinking about it, if I led my intentions with being open, I may likely grow my heart, mind, and soul past their current capacity.  Now, I think I'll print it out and put it in my frame on my bathroom counter to remind myself.

     What would your one word be?