Today I wanted to talk a little bit about my word for 2016.
Some years I pick a word, sometimes I don’t. I don’t do a lot with the word during the year. By that I mean…I don’t really blog about it. Or talk about it, or scrapbook about it.
I just try to be mindful of it. And sometimes I completely forget what my word is. But I love Ali’s concept and think it’s a wonderful way to live. This year I didn’t want to pick a word if it wasn’t meaningful. As I watched my friends share their choices on Instagram, I decided I wouldn’t participate this year.
And then, out of nowhere, I couldn’t stop thinking about life lately. And how crazy it is. And how I feel like I’m in survival mode and how sometimes I feel like I’m running on a treadmill that’s just
going
too
fast.
And I can’t catch up no matter how fast I run.
I don’t like that.
I don’t like not experiencing the moment, not living in it. The best way I can explain it is this:
Do any of you understand what I’m saying? I can’t feel it because I’m trying to get through it.
And I want to change that.
I want to embrace this crazy, messy, overwhelming, beautiful life. I want to remember how Cora smiles at me. I want to remember the feeling of Cate holding one of my hands and Lucy holding the other. I want to remember the feeling when Jimmy walks in the door after a long long day at work. I want to remember the way Italy looks, smells, feels, and tastes. I don’t ever want to forget Sadie’s spunk and Harper’s transition from little girl to tween.
I want to savor all of it.
And just like that, I realized that I had a word for 2016. I want to savor my life. I want to savor each day, not get through each day.
I’m starting small.
When I get stressed over silly things that don’t matter, I remind myself to breathe. When Cate and Lucy ask me to read them a book, I say yes. When I’m doing laundry and Harper says she wants to talk, I stop and we talk. And I really look at her.
Here’s to a year of mindfulness- a year of paying attention and a year of enjoying the ride.