It took me a while to pick my word for the new year. Early in December I thought I had it — thrive — but the year ended with a bit of a whimper and that sounded a little daunting. Thrive has some pretty hefty expectations.
I also came pretty close to savor.
I cycled away and wondered if these words were a little airy fairy. Maybe I should choose responsibility or duty or something like that. Although I ultimately asked a friend to smother me if I chose any of those words. Definitely things that should be in my life, but not so much words I want to spend a year concentrating on or living emphatically!
The other day I was painting Pippin canvases at my desk and I looked up and saw this card I’d stuck to my wall last year some time. The writing below is a quote from Roald Dahl, one of my very favourite quotes.
Wholehearted. Perfect. Not as perky and demanding as thrive. Just whatever I’m doing do it with my whole heart.
I had a wait time during a soccer practice later that day and made it official. I always make a point of writing the word (although at that time I was writing it as two words) in a brand new journal, although this time I also hung onto the other words I’d considered and kept last year’s words in the mix too. This year I had bought all of the colours of journals available before except for red, purple, and brown. Again, red seemed a little demanding and daunting. You have to be on top of your game to write in a red journal. Purple… well I thought about it but in the end I just couldn’t do it. I admire purple but mostly from afar. I’m just not ready to let it get close enough to hold my thoughts and writings. So brown it was. But still. Brown. Check out the colours of journals I’ve used over the last bunch of years, up above. Brown seems like a bit of a different animal.
But now I think brown is a great colour for a year of wholeheartedness! Rich and calm and trying really hard.
Wholehearted. I think this could work!
