I’ve decided once again to join Ali’s one little word project again for 2009. I seriously love the simplicity of this idea. Selecting one word as a point of focus for the year ahead. I truly love this.
My word for 2009 is now.
Notice it’s not “NOW” or “now!” but just plain now…in all lowercase letters. It’s now spoken in a whisper as opposed to being yelled by a boisterous two-year old saying “I want dinner NOW!”
So why now? (I love the double meaning of that, by the way.)
Well, now because life is “now.” Now is all we have. Our life is just one continual unfolding of nows…nows that turn into “thens” in just the blink of an eye. Life is all about the decisions we make right now.
Right now I can choose to be happy.
Right now I can choose to take care of a task so that it doesn’t linger on my psyche for many more nows to come.
Right now I can choose to take the first step on my next big dream or goal.
Right now I can choose to love and listen and really pay attention to the people I care about in my life.
Right now I can choose to snuggle with my son…because who knows how much longer snuggling with Mom will be acceptable in his world.
And that last one is the reason for my word. One night earlier this month I snuggled with Collin before bed, part of our nightly ritual. I was getting up to leave…or maybe I had already left and he called me back in. Could I snuggle for a little bit longer?
Now, I had close to a million things left on my to-do list for the day…but I knew my chance to snuggle a little bit longer was right then. It was now in the context of that evening. This chance to snuggle just a bit longer might not be there tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. In ten years of snuggling with this boy, it’s been very rare that he has asked for just a bit longer. The moment was now.
I keep hearing that John Mellencamp song in my mind…(or perhaps he was John Cougar at the time, or maybe he was in the transition stage of John Cougar Mellencamp—but either way you know who I’m talking about.) The chorus to the song is “your life is now.” Yes it is. And I will remind myself of that for the entire year to come.
My life is now…not tomorrow, not yesterday. But now. And it always will be.
Here’s to a joyful 2009! I wish you and yours the very best both tonight and throughout the year. And if you’re participating in the one little word project…post a link or comment about your word. I’d love to know your point of focus for 2009.
That’s my word too! I need to concentrate on the right now, not the past and not the future but on what is happening at this particular moment in time. It’s a great word for me this year.
Have a happy new year!
ellcee
New Orleans
I’m not playing the word game, but now is something that I definitely need to focus on. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
Happy New Year!
I too will join for another year. I will still keep in mind my word for 2008 Simplify, but I have chosen for 2009 the word Choices. I need to concentrate on how they affect my family, my time, my business, even my attitude. Here’s to a year of good choices with rich returns! Thanks for helping me to committ and get it down in writing!
Happy New Year Aby!
Best wishes for the new year to you and your family.
~Benita
Ps. We already celebrated two and a half hour ago, I know you still have a few more hours to go on 2008 🙂
Great minds, right?
My word is (was?)today – I chose it for nearly all of the reasons you chose your word and I’m kind of thinking that I might *borrow* now – instead of today. It really is the right word for what I was aiming for…
One of my biggest issues is really being present, being RIGHT HERE – RIGHT NOW… Instead I’m usually worrying about what will happen, what has to happen, what didn’t happen, or what should have happened.
I want SO much to enjoy whatever IS, whatever is right now. I want to get rid of all the clutter in my head that is keeping me from truly living now…
I am debating between “listen” and “simplify.” The listen I want to achieve is a more active listening and I would love to find one word that means just that. I have 3 more hours to work it out. In reality I have a lifetime to work it all out. Thank God!
My word is TODAY, for many of the same reasons. I’m working hard to be present for today instead of thinking and doing everything for tomorrow.
Love your now choice. Mine is going to be choices and yes I thought of that before coming here. There are choices we make every day – we can choose to be happy or sad, to be angry or to forgive, to smile or frown, to go to sleep or stay up late, to do chores or scrap…. and they are our choices. I’m hoping to make better ones for me and my family in 2009. We just did resolutions together and family resolutions. One was to eat better. DH wanted to know if it had to start tomorrow. I said yes, can’t you skip a cookie twice tomorrow when you want one? It’s all about the little choices.
Great word!
Happy New Year (well almost for us in CST) my word for the year is accept! I need to accept my life as it is and live in it!
My word for 2009 is simplify. I work three jobs and am raising a teenager by myself. I need to simplify my life some how so I can find time for me. May your 2009 be all that you hope for.
donna
Accomplish ~ nothing major. Just accomplish my to do list everyday. Finish what I start, whether it be house cleaning or a scrapbook project. I was going back and forth between finish and accomplish. I do have on major accomplishment planned and that’s to keep on track with my healthy eating and excerise.
My word for 2009 is Balance. It was simplify last year but didn’t do to hot. So I am refocusing and I am going to achieve Balance this year.
In 2008 my word was “enough”. For 2009 I have a phrase. It is “Keep ahead of the game.” Life is so much calmer when preparations are made made ahead of time for everything from meal planning to holidays and other special events.
I enjoy your blog!
Nancy
Happy New Year from New Zealand Aby. Love your choice of word. I had a hard time deciding between sparkle and play so I decided to add some sparkle to my play.
I saw that challenge but couldn’t find a word to fit. I really like now and think I might use it. But I need it for more of a stop procrastination type thing. 😉
Now is a wonderful word…I choose to live in the now.
This past year I realized I have many great ideas, but follow through is an issue for me. So my word this year is Accomplish. {To carry out or complete something successfully; to reach the end of; complete.}
Cheers to 2009!
What a good word you chose. My word is CONNECT. I want to connect more with God, husband, children, family. Connect to what is going on in my life and connect to what I really want to do with my life.
Hi Aby…My word is intentional…for similar reasons that you chose the word now….I just want to be intentional about how I spend my time, money, energy, etc. I am amazed at how psycho people can get over the stupidest thing (just read the comments on Becky Higgin’s blog regarding the project 365 kit that sold out really fast). I think being intentional about how we live our lives is so important…not letting the little stuff in life get us down. Happy new year to you