I lost a whole day last week. All day last Wednesday I thought it was Tuesday. I suppose that’s either the mark of a really good vacation week or a really bad week all around. In hindsight, it was both.
On the vacation front, I unplugged more than usual, took long walks with family, did some first-week-of-the-year organizing, and read a lot. Marks of a good holiday week.
At the same time, it was a terrible week, with a friend grieving monumental loss, amid all the vagaries of Covid-time.
Losing track of a day in a relaxed holiday haze is a gift, when you are reminded that every day counts. Take a minute to reach out to a loved one. Write a note, send a text, make a call. If that’s all the writing you get done this week, it will be worth it.
the word of the year (or week, or day)
Several years ago I let go of New Year’s resolutions, which got dropped too easily. Instead, I choose a word for the year ahead, as an intention for myself.
In the last few years my words have included: Listen, Breathe, and Creativity, This year, my word is Attention.
I wrote a whole sabbatical proposal and spent three intentional months on this same word in 2018. Apparently, I didn’t give it enough attention (see what I did there?) because the word is still tugging at me. I have a variety of things to which I want to pay better attention. Writing about them is one way I give my attention to the things and people that matter.
What word would you choose for your year ahead? Or, if you don’t want to give one word a whole year, choose a word for your week, or even your day.
Use your word as your writing prompt this week. (And let me know what you choose. I’m praying for your year, and mine.)
