I have a theory that part of the reason I’ve floundered so much in 2023 is because I never settled on my word for the year. I started with “adapt,” but got sidetracked by the image of a record adapter (remember the thing you snapped inside the center of a 45 so it would fit on the spindle of your record player?) and grew depressed thinking of all the ways I’ve altered, adjusted and adapted myself to fit other people’s spindles . . . No, I thought, I’m done adapting. By then it was March and the hunt for just the right word seemed insignificant, so I let it go.

Looking back at my word-less year, I’m wishing I’d persevered. I’ve missed having that touchstone – an anchor when my focus wavers or inspiration when it wanes; a litmus test for where and how I’ll spend my time, and a reminder of what’s important to me. From doodles to diary entries, there’s something profound about going back to the same word again and again – like the meditative practice of lectio divina, opening myself to the meaning that slowly unfolds all year long.

So, the wheels are turning and while others are making lists for Santa, I’m making a list of possible words for 2024. I want it to have something to do with light – whether it’s a light post that leads me or a fire within me, I’m not sure yet, but I know I want 2024 to be brighter than 2023. Oooh! Brighter. There’s a contender.