Every year I choose a WOTY, as many of you do, no doubt, and many of us here at Fit Is a Feminist Issue. I was having so much trouble choosing my word for this year, that I couldn’t even contribute to our group post. I kept saying to people, I want a word like ease. Something that captures the lightness and flow of ease. The way we can be more present when we are at ease. And I kept not wanting to choose the actual word. Ease. One friend sent me this fabulous Japanese expression, ichi-go ichi-e, which basically means for this time only or cherish this moment. It’s a version of Marcel Proust’s madeleine or the Heraclitus’ line about never stepping into the same river twice, with a dash of gratitude added, for the beauty of the river we are stepping into or the deliciousness of the madeleine we are eating. As beautiful as all these ideas are, ichi-go ichi-e felt heavier than what I was looking for. I try to make a practice of being grateful for as much as possible in my life. And that gratitude does not necessarily bring me ease. Gratitude demands attention and intention, especially in hard times. I was looking for a word that captured a feeling of less effort, if not full-on effortlessness (if that’s not a contradiction).
As I was effortfully trying to write this, pushing words and ideas around on the page, as if they were one of those sleds people push in CrossFit, I came across this quote from Norman Fischer, a Zen priest, poet and teacher: In the full intensity of the present moment there is never anything to fear—there is only something to deal with. It is a subtle point, but it is absolutely true: the fear I experience now is not really present moment based: I am afraid of what is going to happen. So, maybe ease is less about gratitude and maybe more about finding a way through fear. Not that that is simpler. Yet softening around all my myriad fears feels like it just might be a route to ease. A few days later, while writing something else, I came up with this formula:
What I was wrestling with was the idea that if I can move into the future with trust and find the grace to dance with what the universe delivers, then I will be able to move through my boat load of fears. And there, on the other side of fear, is where I will find ease.
As I headed out to meet a friend for a run on January 1st, in a cold winter rain, which turned to snow just in time for our run and then switched back to rain as we took our last steps (thank you, universe, for that opening gift of 2025—an easy gratitude!), I realized that I was resisting the word ease, because it felt so impossible, or like I don’t deserve it. Here’s a sampler from that voice in my head: It’s coming up on 3 years since your marriage started falling apart and you still can’t find ease? What’s wrong with you? Why are you not over it already? If you can’t find ease by now, you never will. Also, that’s your fault. The inside of my head is not always the most cheerful place to be.
When I realized that my dis-ease with the word ease was about resistance (my fear!), and not my usual, there’s-a-more-perfect-word-to-describe-what-I-mean, I knew what my word of the year had to be. EASE. Sometimes my word is aspirational and other years it is a beacon. This year it is the former—an aspiration, which I will try to hold lightly, mindful of the paradox that if I aspire too hard, then I will surely not find ease. What will ease look like? Less time in my head, worrying about the future. More time just being (trust!). Making choices rooted more in pleasure and less in financial fear (grace!). Less fighting against what is, like taking my medication (grace!). More noticing the gifts on offer, like how well my medication works (trust!).
This year I will trust and dance with grace. Aspiring. Letting go. Moving through fears. That’s where I’ll find ease. If I do. Not that I’m attached to the outcome. Okay, maybe a little bit. Here goes.
Image description: word cloud in the shape of a simple flower, filled with the Words of the Year from the post below. Generated for free from wordcloud.app
Do you have a word that captures something of an envisioned 2025 touchstone for you? For the past few years we at Fit Is a Feminist Issue have had fun choosing words-of-the-year (#woty). You can see past choices here:
Sometimes we post updates partway through the year to check-in about how it’s going. On occasion, the call for an update sends at least a few of us scrambling to remember what word we had chosen. Some years we choose better than others. To me, the very process of choosing a word-of-the-year is a fun and sometimes revealing attempt to have a thematic focus for the year to come. Today, we present this year’s choices.
Natalie: Steady
Steady is my word. I want to be steady in my exercise, writing, crafting and paid work.
I’m using my bicycle commute to experiment with smaller distances more often. My smart watch is giving me a lot of insight into how inconsistent I have been in 2024.
Since I’m working on my balance I also want to be steady on my feet and on my bike. Re-training my brain is a big part of this.
Steady as she goes!
Samantha: Engage
Engage is my word for 2025. On the work front it’s my first research leave in eight years since winter 2017. I’ve never gone that long without leave before and I’m keen to re-engage with ideas, and arguments, and writing. I’m also feeling keen to engage with all the outdoor activities I love, hiking and biking and back country canoe camping. I’m also feeling the need to see more of the people I love, to engage more with the people I care about. I’ve had a few significant losses in recent years, two more in the past few months, and I’m struck anew by how short and precious life is. But then there’s also the big scary political world, getting scarier by the day as Trump talks of leaving the WHO, escalating the death penalty, taking over Canada, and forced mass deportation Add to that the rise of the right here in Canada and I’m having to fight very hard against the impulse to hide under my blankets. Instead I’m resolving to engage, to take a stand, to write letters, campaign door to door, to do something.
Tracy: Confidence
I went back and forth between “ease” and “confidence,” and settled on the latter because I want to let go of all the various little insecurities and areas where I’ve lacked confidence, and trust my own capacities. It’s time. In my work, I’m returning to the classroom after a couple of years away, with not one but two classes starting in January. You’d think that after 32 years of teaching anyone would just be filled to the brim with confidence. But that turns out not to be the case. However, with my WOTY this year, I’m going to stare that down from day one.
I also want to pursue my fitness activities with confidence. Instead of “I can’t do that,” I’m going to go in with the attitude that I can. I can lift heavy things. I can do push-ups and renegade rows. I can do unmodified chataranga in the yoga flow. I can do speed work, and tempo runs, and endurance runs, and easy runs. And I can factor actual rest into my fitness routines. And I am perfectly capable of maintaining a regular routine.
Then there is my photography. I have a lot to learn still, but I can also feel confident that I have a good eye and that I am capable of getting better.
Finally, I want to tackle my big move to Toronto with Diane, coming up this summer, with confidence. I’m already confident that it’s going to be amazing once we are there. So what’s the problem? Between now and settling into a new place in TO, we need to find the right place, sell our places, get rid of excess stuff, pack up the remaining stuff, and coordinate two moves. But we can do this! People do it all the time.
So this year, whenever that annoying voice in my head starts planting doubt, I am going to counter it with a confident rejoinder.
Elan: Consistency
Sloooooowwwww was my 2024 WoTY. For the first part of the year, especially when I was cycling, SLOW came to mind only when I wasn’t meeting my desired pace. But over the year SLOW shifted from an excuse or an apology to something I tried to embrace. The mindfulness exercises I did reggularly around lunch time using my Oura app also gave me permission to slow down.
Over the winter break I read about how avoidance and procrastination activates in our bodies a stress response that builds anxiety. In contrast, making a start (however slowly) reduces anxiety and builds our capacity to adapt and grow. My hope in 2025 is to continue to embrace slowness, and from that build more consistent habits, which I’ve found even more difficult than slowing down. So consistency will be my WoTY for 2025.
Catherine: Compass
Collective was my 2024 WOTY. Realizing that a lot of my happiness comes from being part of a collective, I engaged in lots of activities with my various groups– from the bloggers at Sam’s 60th birthday party to book club to traveling, cycling and swimming with friends and family. I feel lucky to be a part of a number of communities, and I spent more time being active and present.
2024 was also a year in which I (more or less) came to terms with the fact that I have limited time and energy and resources to devote to people, places and pursuits. This year, I’m focusing on physical health and strength, creativity (mainly through writing, but also some art/craft) and being with people I care about.
The destinations are clear, but I still need help in navigating there. So my WOTY for 2025 is Compass, to help me find my way to the people, places, and pursuits I value so much. Yes, I may take the scenic route sometime, and there will be detours. And traffic jams. But as long as I have something to guide me, I think 2025 has the potential to be a great year for journeys and destinations.
Nicole: Believin’
First of all, as is customary for me, I have forgotten what my word for 2024 was and I am not looking because I don’t want to look back. I want to look forward. Not wanting to reminisce, is not typical for me, but that’s how I feel right now.
The word I have chosen for 2025 is “Believin’”. A few years ago, on our first trip anywhere after the lock down of 2020 and most of 2021, my husband and I went to Vancouver and Victoria for a brief, very welcome, change of scenery. It was early summer. We were warned ahead of our arrival at the Granville Island Hotel, that there would be a party in the hotel on our first night there and it might be a bit noisy. At first, we were not thrilled, expecting it to be noisy in a stressful way. However, much to our delight, while we were cozy in our room around 11 pm, we were serenaded by the sound of a group of early teenage girls singing “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey at the top of their lungs at the bat mitzvah taking place in the party room below. it was just the tonic our hardened, still pandemic-wearing souls needed in that moment. And, so, it occurs to me that my soul needs my word for 2025 to be “Believin”. Whether it’s toward my workouts, my family life or the world at large, I am going to try and summon the word, “Believin” – Believin’ in possibility, strength, moments of joy, gratitude and peace in all “this”.
Diane: Enjoy
I loved EXPLORE, my word for 2024 and I did quite a bit of exploring about myself, though not enough exploring in my surroundings. I’m tempted to keep it for another year but the areas where I fell down relate more to learning to relax and enjoy what is happening in the moment.
Realistically, relax is too…relaxing to suit me so I’m going to work on “enjoy” – enjoying my new job, my new grandson, my new cottage and the surrounding area, and doing physical and artistic things that give me joy with friends or on my own.
Amanda: Limits
My word of the year is Limits. As in recognizing, accepting and respecting my own limits. Not easy but important.
Cate: Pathways
My word is pathways. It’s the year I turn 60 and make some decisions about the directions I’d like to curve the rest of my life toward.
Amy: Initiate
I feel like my year started over the summer with a big birthday, so the mid-year/new-year brings a good opportunity for reflection and a fresh perspective. My WOTY is initiate – just get started and see what happens instead of holding off for fear of failure, not having enough time, perfectionism, etc. I don’t usually also add a motto but based on a birthday astrology reading I’m adding one this year: go big AND go home. Lastly, I’ve been on a colorful kick, trying to wear more colors and expand how I see color in my life. I’ve even purchased a hot pink planner for the year, where pink is formerly a no-go color for me.
Martha: Replenish
My word is replenish. Like the meme says, I’ve been driving full tilt with the engine light blinking and the gas tank on fumes. Time to rest, refocus and replenish literally and figuratively. Sixty five is on the horizon and time to think on my goals for the next decade and more.
So those are ours. What’s your word of the year for 2025? And why did you choose it?
For the past week and a half I had my bike inside, parked right between my kitchen and my living room, creating an unmistakeable reminder to cycle just 18km more before the end of my first outdoor season.
But fall is busy, winter sports have started, and I just haven’t found the time or headspace.
Some things work against me: a busy job that has me traveling some early mornings and evenings. I live near busy, cyclist-unfriendly streets (at least two people have sadly lost their lives near me in the past few years). A number of my club’s rider development rides were rained out this summer.
I think I psyched myself out too, a little. I struggled on a ride early in the season and convinced myself I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the excellent women riders in the group. I tell myself I’m not good at routine, but sometimes I wonder how much I am just excusing myself from committing to one.
I learned that my hybrid is heavier and slower compared to most road bikes. Also, no clips may account for my slowness.
These things, all adding up, left me getting out less often, and less longer, than I’d liked.
So, I’m finally calling it. Here I am after 8 months: 382 kms and just shy of 23 hours clocked on my bike. What I managed in a season some club riders do in a single weekend.
A screenshot of a cycle app. Profile for Elan Paulson. Member since March 2024. 23 rides. 2,404 M climbed. 22h 42m time riding. 383km travelled.
But SLOW was my Word of the Year (WOTY), so I’m giving myself permission to be a slow rider and have a slow start (and finish) in my fire season.
I moved my bike downstairs when I realized a friend had recently gifted me his old trainer, so my “season” doesn’t have to end: I can get to that 400 mark before the end of 2024.
I had very good time in my first riding season with the London Cycling Club. I met a few new people, rode in some new locations, and shared in a cycling birthday party for Sam. Cyclists I’ve met has been friendly, helpful, and supportive.
My best ride wasn’t my longest or fastest. I was riding in town one late summer afternoon with three friends. The warm sun and the green trees were all around me, and as I coasted down a big long hill I felt like a kid again, without a care in the world. It was just simply fun.
When I think back to when I was a kid riding around my neighbourhood on bikes, I had never cared about my cycling stats, how fast I was going, or whether I had clips or not. Maybe I will have more fun cycling next year if I care a little less about those things as an adult too. 🙂
My hybrid bike, now downstairs and waiting patiently to be put on the green trainer, behind the chair, over the winter.
The first thing I did on January 1, 2024 was climb up a mountain with a friend. A little more than four hours on snow and ice in very cold, grey conditions. When we got back to the car, I couldn’t even manage to click the car remote to unlock the doors, my hands were so frozen. And it was glorious to open the year in nature, in the vigor of my body (which has not always been a given this year), with a challenge and great company.
Frozen waterfall on Mt MansfieldMina on Mt MansfieldMt Mansfield Trail
2023 was its own mountain and as much as I love mountains, I’m hoping that 2024 will bring fewer tears and fears and more ease and flow.
Every year (as many of you do, no doubt, and many of us here at Fit Is a Feminist Issue) I choose a WOTY (here’s last year). Sometimes the word is aspirational and other years it is a beacon. This year it is the latter—a lighthouse to indicate the shoals, when I fall out of alignment with its intent; and a north star to guide my speech, actions and spirit.
My word is going to be DISCERNMENT. I had a lot of resistance to my WOTY last year, which was WELCOME, because, well, the year was even harder than I anticipated when I chose the word. Now, heading into another opportunity for a reset, I wanted to find a word that was neither overwhelming, as last year’s word felt at times (when I hadn’t just blocked the whole word from my mind), nor punitive. I say that because my first potential word for this year was FRUGAL. Oof. That felt like punishment and deprivation. And yet, I want to capture the intention I have going into 2024, to be more conscious of the choices I’m making. In particular, yes, the financial decisions I make, since my situation post-break up is radically different than it was when I was with my partner. I wrote about the results of those relationship choices in My Fit Feminism Is a Fraud.
Last year was also a no-shopping for clothes year (that was my annual challenge, which I usually have, in addition to my WOTY), so I didn’t want a word that doubled down on 2023. Which brings me to DISCERNMENT. A word that feels more about choices, all my choices, from how I spend my money, to how I spend my time and with whom. I feel, too, the grace in this word and I’m looking forward to exploring that aspect. And, how lucky that I have an accountability partner in Tracy, co-founder of this community. I’m hoping that having her company will help me with the alignment I had trouble with last year, as my 2023 word kept falling out of my mind.
As for my annual challenge (not a resolution!), I’m going to use my word as my challenge. For example, I’ve signed up for Home Exchange, which will enable me to go places that might not otherwise be in my budget. And, after a year without new clothes, shoes or accessories, I want to work on easing back into shopping with discernment, too. The last time I ended a no-shopping year, I was back to my old shopping habits more quickly than I would have liked. I’d like to do better this time. Starting, for example, with much more vintage and second time around, not only to be mindful of my spending, but also to be mindful of the environmental impact of my love of clothing and shoes.
And yes, I did shop on January 1 (while I drank my hot chocolate after the arduous hike) and I’ll admit that I’m excited to wear a new-to-me pair of black jeans and cozy sweater!
It’s fun to choose a word of the year. The keys to making the choosing process enjoyable are 1) not to overthink it; 2) not to take it too seriously or literally; and 3) to feel free to be as expansive or imaginative or idealistic as you like. We here at FIFI have done just that for a few years. As a warmup, you might check out previous years’ picks:
For my part, I like picking a word of the year much more than say, making New Year’s resolutions. It’s less prescriptive and more thematic. A word of the year is also open to multiple interpretations, offering us a range of choices as life takes unexpected turns. If you find this idea kind of interesting, you can read what we have to say about our upcoming year words and see if anything inspires or suggests something for you. And if you do, we’d love to know what word you picked.
So, here are our words for the year 2024:
Tracy:
My word for 2024 is STRONG. I feel it has several layers of meaning for me. Most literally, I am back to strength training and loving it, so I want STRONG to guide me in that. I am also aware that I’ve been feeling emotionally fragile for several years because of my divorce, and I am ready to shed that burden. I’m not talking “stiff upper lip” or eschewing vulnerability. It’s more along the lines of looking forward not back, and recognizing my strength(s) and letting them lead me. I’m sure there are other meanings that will unfold for me.
I am also excited that Mina and I have decided to be WOTY “accountability partners,” checking in to see how the words are working for us. It started because we were both going to use the same word (discernment), but then “strong” was speaking to me so much that I landed there. I’m not sure what she has decided. But regardless, we’ve partnered up and I’m feeling good about that. Happy 2024!
Diane:
This will be my year to “EXPLORE”. Not in the sense of visiting new places, which is weird for someone who loves to travel. It may not even be much about trying new things (I have more than enough crafting projects on the go already).
I plan to explore how I want to spend my time as a retired person. I’ll need to develop new time and money management skills as I have a long list of potential projects but will no longer be bound by externally-imposed schedules. Over-commitment chaos and decision-making paralysis are both plausible scenarios.
I want to get to know nearby spots in different ways: cycling, hiking, and hopefully on skates, skis and snowshoes. Will this be the year I finally visit every cooled outdoor rink in Ottawa (plus a few neighbourhood rinks)? That has been on my goals list since 2017. In some ways, this will be an extension of 2022’s year of tiny pleasures.
Mostly, I want to explore the inside of my own head. I’m not good at relaxing. I have lost the skill of letting free-floating thought lead to imagination and storytelling. Meditation? Ha! But as my aging body starts to betray me, I want to explore how to use my mind in a more disciplined way.
Elan:
It’s fitting that this word has been approaching for me for some time now: SLOW. And, for me, slow also has to be about LESS—not because I want less but because I want to enjoy what I have more. I wrote more about it here: Going More Slowly
Mina:
My word is going to be DISCERNMENT. I had a lot of resistance to my WOTY last year, which was WELCOME, because, well, the year was even harder than I anticipated when I chose the word. Now, heading into another opportunity for a bit of a reset, I wanted to find a word that was neither overwhelming, as last year’s word felt at times, nor punitive. I say that because my first potential word was FRUGAL. Oof. That felt like punishment and deprivation. And yet, I want to capture the intention I have going into 2024, to be more conscious of the choices I’m making. In particular, yes, the financial decisions I make, since my situation post-break up is radically different than it was when I was with my partner. I wrote about the results of those relationship choices in My Fit Feminism Is a Fraud.
Last year was also a no-shopping for clothes year, so I didn’t want a word that doubled down on 2023. Which brings me to DISCERNMENT. A word that feels more about choices, all my choices, from how I spend my money, to how I spend my time. I feel, too, the grace in this word and I’m looking forward to exploring that aspect. And, how lucky that I have an accountability partner in Tracy.
Nicole:
I find myself listening to stories of middle aged or older women who talk about finding comfort in words that are typically considered negative. Jann Arden talks about embracing the word “crone”. “Becoming a crone,” she concludes, “gives you the sense and the stability and power to be who you are.”
I have always questioned parts of myself. Whether my intelligence, appearance, right to speak, right to expect things and many other things. At 51, I feel too young still to embrace the word “crone”. But I like the meaning that Arden associated with it.
I have not embraced “crone” for my WOTY. I thought about “goddess” but that feels too confident for how I feel right now. I thought about “embrace”. Embrace the good and the bad. Because living to middle aged and older means being so grateful for every day – both the good and the bad. You can’t cherry pick the good. That’s not how living works. But the the word I have settled on is TRUTH. I want to be able to be my truth. Whether in my actions day to day or how I express myself to others. In fitness, I want to focus on movement that is true to my goals and my needs. Fitness that lifts my moods and makes me feel strong and confident for each truly alive day. TRUTH is for 2024.
Samantha:
My word is the word I want to inspire the coming year and the coming decade: ADVENTURE. I’ve been thinking of it partly in terms of my fitness identity. You might have read this blog post, Sam’s next fitness life: the active outdoor adventurer!
But I’m also thinking of it in terms of life in general. I want to explore and take on new challenges, try new things. I’ve spent a few years focused on knee surgery and recovery and now I want to take advantage of my new found mobility.
I want to cultivate an expansive mindset and take on some big new challenges across all the areas of my life, academic work, writing and research, teaching, personal relationships and friendships. I don’t want to shrink with age.
Catherine:
My word for 2024 is COLLECTIVE. As a Star Trek fan, let me clarify that it’s not the kind of collective where resistance is futile. Or at least not in a bad way…
I’ve found this year that I am, in a fundamental way, happiest as a member of the collective, whatever that group may be. Whether it’s the philosophy department at my university, my Episcopal church in Charlestown, MA, my beloved book club, cycling friends, fellow bloggers, or various family groups and sub-groups, I function better and feel better when I’m acting in concert with them. This means physical activity of all sorts, social gatherings, life tasks, recreation or hobbies, travel, meditation, and even just lolling about.
As a person who lives alone and enjoys it, I’m a bit surprised to realize just how much I benefit from doing things with others. 2023 brought with it the chance to try out this approach to life, with travel and outings and exercise and hanging out much more with the people I care about. Yes, there are some tradeoffs ( I have to get up earlier than I might like…) but overall I’m much happier. In 2024 I’m doing more travel and activity, mostly as a happy component of my Collective.
Amanda:
My word is PRESENT. I want to be present to my life and my needs more. I want to be present to my own needs, my own experiences and my own aging. I want to enjoy my body and its movement more, and sometimes I am finding I simply miss my own feelings.
Amy:
My word is LITTLE. Not small. Not less. Little. I chose this word because I have a lot of goals and am approaching a “round number birthday.” For many years I have struggled with hitting certain goals because they were bigger than I had time or energy to tackle. But I get closer and closer to them over time. This year I am embracing the small changes, the incremental wins, and the little bits of progress so that I can recognize these achievements more fully. Many years ago I took a yoga class where the instructor gave us this mantra: inch by inch life’s a cinch, yard by yard life is hard. It has stuck with me for a variety of reasons, but aligns perfectly with my LITTLE 2024.
Dear Readers, have you picked a word for 2024? Looking for suggestions? Let us know.
We’ve been choosing words of the year for a few years here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. Here’s our post announcing our words last year. In this post, we reflect on how well our words have served us. We ask ourselves if we made the right choice given the way our lives turned out.
ELAN
My word was “explore.” I appreciate how January Elan gave me permission to try things without judgement, but I now reflect on how realistic that was for me. Because you can only explore something for so long. And knowing my insecurities, it is difficult for me to withhold self-judgment, especially when, in groups, I am called upon to perform. So, as I face a busy fall with a new hobby that challenges me enormously, I think I would change—or perhaps pair—my word “explore” with the word “commit.” December Elan is going to commit to see through what she’s been exploring.
DIANE
My word was Accept. The shoulder issues that plagued me for much of the year forced more acceptance of my physical frailties than I had planned. I did exceed my own expectations on some cycling goals and I’m happy to be well in my way to qualifying as a swim instructor. Over the year I have moved from accepting my impending retirement to being eager for the next stage in life.
CATHERINE
My word has been Allow. Turns out, allowing is hard, especially regarding myself. Allowing myself to do less, to be what and where and who I am at the moment, requires courage. The times I’ve done this– said and done and shown what I needed and what I needed not– have been mostly positive. I’ve discovered that my friends and family already know who and what I am, and they’re happy to support me and let me be me. Not that I don’t get reminders and gentle nudges to do and be what I need to be in the world. For the most part, I appreciate that.. 🙂 So yes, Allowing is something I recommend for anyone shopping for a 2024 word.
SAM
My word of the year was “grow.” And I still love and embrace it. I may even reprise it! I’ve used it in the sense of growing in areas that are already my own–growth as deepening and strengthening–as well as in the sense of trying new things–growth as expanding and widening my horizons. In my very good moments I have a real sense of “watch out world, here I come” and “you ain’t seen nothing yet.” As I approach 60, I’m excited about the decade ahead. Zoom, zoom!
NICOLE
My WOTY for 2023 was Purpose. I said that I didn’t want it to be “purpose with pressure”. More about “purposely looking for fulfilling opportunities, whether at work or at the gym.
I feel I’ve been successful, in that way, in my career. I was looking for a new job in 2023 and landed on one in April that suits me quite well. It fits the bill in terms of the type of “purpose” I am looking for in my career.
At the gym, I continued with my regular routine, which I continue to find purposeful. My workout routine keeps me physically strong and mentally content.
I am purposely thinking of what my word will be for 2024.
I also want to mention that my word for 2023 was Blossom and then became Envision. That word “Envision” is still impactful in my life. I think of it in my regular mantras and when I am feeling I need an inner push to “envision” myself doing things that scare me or that I worry I am not “up to” or “good enough” for. So, I think WOTY can carry over, from year to year, in meaningful ways.
NATALIE
My “consolidate” materialized in a strong twice a week weight lifting workout. It meant saying “yes” to doing new things with friends and family that deepened our connection. I took a drawing class with my beloved in the spring and a pottery class with a friend from work.
I settled into my new home and after a year living here it truly feels like home. It felt good to think about solidifying and appreciating rather than stretching and striving.
TRACY
I have absolutely loved my word of the year: THRIFT. As I said in my original post, it’s not “thrift” as in thrift shopping. It’s “thrift” as in being thrifty or frugal overall. It has mostly kept me on point with my “no-buy challenge,” in which I have bought almost no clothing, jewelry, accessories, shoes or photography equipment since December 2022. I say “almost” because I bought one new pair of running shoes (which were essential for taking care of my feet) and one new work bag (which had to be done since my old one was tattered and looking really unprofessional). I also had two photography equipment lapses: a new, smaller camera bag (which was my only buyer’s remorse situation of 2023) and a new 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which was my only splurge of the year, purchased for myself as a birthday present–no buyer’s remorse. I loved the freedom (yes, freedom!) of knowing that shopping for things I would normally be shopping for were just off the table, and things that I was shopping (such as things in categories outside of the no-buy parameters and the new lens) had to be properly sourced, price-compared, and thought through. I feel as if using “thrift” as my guide this year has re-oriented my spending in a more mindful direction that has created a lasting shift.
thrift, in orange text on a dark blue background
AMY
My word of the year was create. I go through phases where I might not even be able to name my word in week or month chunks, but I kept coming back to this particular one and trying to sit with it, especially when I was frazzled. Making things (knitting and sewing, primarily) and creating ideas (mostly professional-minded) has kept me sane through a year with some curveballs. I’ve had to be very protective of my creative energy and remember that “No” is a complete sentence so I am not drained of my creative spark.
Okay–my word was “welcome” and whoa this has been a year. First, my 28-year marriage dissolved definitively, and with that I lost my home and financial security. Welcome. Then my beloved 17-year-old cat died in my arms. Welcome. Then I got tired and more tired and even more tired. Until I ended up in the hospital, where they saved my heart from stopping. After which ensued months of mystery around what was wrong with me and why my potassium level was dangerously high. Now solved by daily medication. Welcome. Me and my WOTY have not always been on the best of terms this year. In fact, I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the word has not even stuck in my brain. When we did a mid year reflection, I’d forgotten my word. And I had to look it up again today for this reflection. Welcome. And yet, in the last couple of months, as my health has returned, I have noticed more welcome in my world. And I welcome the end of this year and the feeling the new year gives of new possibility, as random and arbitrary as January 1 is.
Monday morning. May 8th 2023. I wake up after an unusually restful night of sleep. I know I got up to the bathroom once. Other than that, I have no recollection of sleepless restlessness, which is not the norm for me these last many months. The first thing I notice is the fading rose of the light on the buildings out my window, soft and clear. I am surprised the day is here. I check my iPad for the time. It’s on the bedside table. Reading a novel (on the kindle app on my iPad) in bed as I fall asleep is one of my life’s pleasures.
And, in that moment, reaching for the time, I realize this: I did not meditate yesterday. Horror! How could I have forgotten?
I comb back through the day. It was not my typical Sunday. To start with, I didn’t get into bed until 4:00 am. I was taking part in a big group photo shoot organized by some friends, which didn’t start until past midnight. That same morning, I stayed longer in bed than usual … waiting until the moment before I needed to leave for my 5 Rhythms group at noon. I left my iPad out in a particular location to remind myself to meditate when I got back. But not with a note, as I often do, if I don’t meditate first thing in the morning.
That was May 7th. My cousin’s birthday. He was born 4 days before me. It would have been 1617 days of meditation in a row. 617 days since the last day of the first in-person visit with my mother after pandemic.
My streak!!?? I couldn’t lose my meditation streak, too! Enough with the loss already (I won’t get into the details—I’ve written about them the last couple of months.)
I recalled that while I was lying in bed Sunday morning, I had thought to myself, maybe 5 Rhythms will be my meditation today. After all, Gabrielle Roth, who developed the technique, called it a moving mediation. Still, if I’m honest, I wasn’t thinking about that anymore when I got to the studio. I was just inside my body, inside the dance. So, did it count if I hadn’t thought to myself, in the moment, this is my meditation?
I’ve been meditating daily for more than 4 years now, and I have adjusted my expectations and the form my meditation can take several times. For example, when I started, I required of myself a minimum of 20 minutes. After a month, I relaxed into any amount of time counting, so long as I sat down intentionally. My meditations now are most commonly 10 minutes long. Another requirement was that I be seated—a cushion or a chair (airplane seats count) or a patch of grass. Just seated, you get the picture. Then, about six months ago, when life got especially challenging, I began to relax the seated requirement and relaxed into lying down meditation. Sometimes (often on days when I’ve woken up super early or am having trouble motivating myself to get out of bed), I start my day with a meditation in bed.
So, I am not averse to adjusting my meditation habits over time. And, I’ve never made the adjustment unconsciously. And, I’ve never included a moving meditation in my streak, at least not before May 7th. And, I do think it’s appropriate to count 5 Rhythms as a meditation, though I’d probably feel differently if it was the only form of daily meditation I practiced every day, which is how I feel about lying down meditation, too. Yes, at times the system of rules and regulations and definitions of what counts and what doesn’t inside my head verge on the Kafkaesque. For example, I don’t count riding around town on a bike as my workout, but I’ve also realized that it is a factor that needs to inform the workout I choose to do on a day when I’ll be riding around town a lot.
Which brings me back to my immediate problem on May 8th—what should I do about the meditation streak?
First, I decided to meditate, with the intention to notice what was coming up around the issue. Then, I thought, why bother? You’re just fooling yourself. You’re back to zero. You won’t get back into the 1600s on a new streak until you’re into your sixties. Suck it up. I sat down to meditate anyway. I considered whether there was a freedom in not being on the streak anymore. I’ve got a number of new, unasked for and unwanted, freedoms in my life. I don’t want more of these types of freedoms.
These thoughts crowded my mind: I have deep expertise in the field of being hard on myself, maybe this was not the moment? But if I follow that logic, was I at risk of being too gentle? What long time discipline would I cheat on next? If I decided to count 5 Rhythms, was I lying to myself? What would I lie to myself about next? A rabbit hole of dire possibilities yawned open.
Then, as if switch flipped, my mind quieted and I heard, count it. Add the session into your log. The streak motivates you If after a few days, you feel like a lying, cheating fraud, you can always take it out.
Well, it’s been more than a week now. When I look at my streak count, which is, as I type this (on Friday May 19, is 1628, I feel no remorse. I’ve come clean here about my streak. That’s enough. No public hanging required. I will continue on with my streak.
That last sentence was supposed to be the end of this post. My intention was to let the writing sit over the weekend and come back to polish the next week.
…
Except.
…
Saturday morning. May 20th 2023. I finish my run and decide to meditate outdoors. It’s only then that I realize, holy fucking shit, I did not meditate on Friday. The very day I was writing my first draft of this post, I forgot to meditate. Again. And this time, there was no 5 Rhythms waiting in the wings to save me. I was stunned. Was this the universe punishing me because I was lying to myself about my meditation streak with my 5 Rhythms fiddle? I sat down to meditate on my new streak-less reality. As I listened to the wind in the trees and breathed the breeze, waves of grief, followed by waves of jubilation rocked through my body. Each wave swelling into the space of the receding wave, as grief rolled into jubilation rolled into grief. For everything that’s been happening. When I finished my meditation, I was shaken. And I accepted. No, more than that, I welcomed what was. That was my word of the year, here was a reminder of the practice. I was not being punished or tested or whatever. I was living and doing the best I can. Later that day I bought a bottle of champagne to share with the friends I was having dinner with. To celebrate the ongoing deconstruction of my life.
This was the quote on my Insight Timer app on the day I realized that I’d forgotten to meditate. It felt like a message addressed to me rather directly. And the other image is my welcome to what now is.
I’m on day 4 of my new streak today. Or so Insight Timer tells me. And I don’t intend to streak for the time being. I will take the days as they come.
Image description: star-shaped word cloud featuring the repetition of four words in block letters: GROWTH, WELCOME, PURPOSE, THRIFT.
A few of us chose Words-of-the-Year back in January and we are due for a check-in to see how the chosen WOTY are working for us.
Mina
I couldn’t even remember my word, when Tracy proposed this post. When she reminded me it was WELCOME, I had to go back and look at why. Oh right, because I knew how hard the year was going to be and I wanted to find something that expressed a willingness to receive what was given this year and, in that way, find flow and ease, dynamism and stillness. I rejected the words GRIT and RESILIENCE, as too much focused on survival (versus the potential to thrive). I’m glad of my choice. At this point, every time someone tells me I’m resilient, a part of me wants to punch them and then collapse to the ground screaming and crying to prove that I’m not and that I need their care. I am welcoming those feelings. I am welcoming grief. Sure, some moments I set my grief off to the side, to try to focus on work or a friend or the potential of a pleasurable moment. But I am never denying grief, or pushing it away, as if it doesn’t belong. This opportunity to be reminded of my word and welcome it anew is well-timed. Welcome springtime.
Nicole
My WOTY is PURPOSE. I also forgot what it was and Tracy reminded me. I thought it was BLOSSOM, but turns out, that was last year’s word. I think there is something to the way my memory has worked with respect to the WOTY. Perhaps, 2022 was getting my mind ready to BLOSSOM, but I wasn’t in a place to actually BLOSSOM. After leaving my last job and having some time to find my next opportunity, I had the privilege of time to think about where I would like to work. I have landed in a place that will provide me with an opportunity to learn, grow, use my legal skills and work at helping others. This seems like an opportunity to BLOSSOM. It also seems like an opportunity to do my work with PURPOSE (2023 WOTY). With respect to exercise, sometimes I have to remind myself the PURPOSE of my exercise. I am good at keeping my schedule, but lately, I find myself tired and cranky, on occasion. I blame it on menopause, but it could be other factors. Either way, in the moments of tiredness and crankiness, I believe it would be wise of me to remind myself of the PURPOSE of why I exercise. It provides me with energy and a clear head and strength – life transitions be damned. I also am purposeful about appreciating the ability to experience these life transitions, as I am more often than not, cognizant of this privilege that not all are afforded. I’m glad to be reminded of my WOTY. I endeavor to use PURPOSE in both my work and working out, for the remainder of the year.
Samantha
From my original WOTY post, “My word for 2023 is GROWTH. I want to expand in lots of different ways. I want to learn new things, make some new friends, discover some new music, travel to new places, read some new authors, and think about new problems. I want to challenge myself to think big and take risks. I’m not sure yet what the specific fitness applications of this new focus will be but I’m open to ideas.”
How’s that working out for me?
Well, on the one hand, not as well as I’d hoped. It feels a bit more like Groundhog Day, as I’m halfway through medical leave for the second knee replacement. Instead of doing new things, mostly I’m working hard to get back to old things. I keep thinking words like “grit” and “determination” might have served me better.
On the other hand, if I think about life on the other side of this surgery and recovery, “growth” is still a word that excites. I keep thinking about new things I can do and new places I can travel with two working knees. It’s also pushing me to think about goals bigger than mere recovery. I’m excited about a lot of strength training in my future.
Last year during a tough time @fieldpoppy wrote about following Adriene’s yoga series, Begin, in which she describes the “Beginner’s Mind.” It’s exactly the non-self-critical headspace that gives the rest of me permission to explore new things: “presence, simplicity, no decisions. […] Experience what’s there now, not what was once there, or what could be there in the future.”
Tracy
My word-of-the-year this year is THRIFT. Not in the sense of “thrifting,” where you shop for bargains at thrift stores, but more in the sense of being thrifty or frugal overall. It dovetails with my no-buy challenge, which involves no purchasing clothes, jewelry, accessories, or camera equipment in 2023.
These things all made the list because they are things I tend to spend way beyond my needs on them. There is simply no need to browse the clothing every time I go to Costco, to buy earrings every time I travel, or to keep adding to my camera kit when I already have more equipment — and it’s good equipment — than I regularly use.
The no-buy challenge and my WOTY have combined to make me think more carefully about my “allowable” expenses. As has everyone, I’ve noticed the prices shooting up in the grocery store and at the gas station, making everyday necessities quite a bit more expensive than they used to be. Taking a more thrifty approach means I will sometimes forgo things I would otherwise have purchased.
It’s also gotten me to try a discount airline for the first time. I’m flying out to Vancouver to see my step daughter and her partner and meet my new grand-baby. on Swoop the round trip ticket is a mere $163 CDN! If I can get away with just a small back pack (I’m gonna try!), I won’t have to fork over the additional $60 EACH WAY for a carry-on! If I wasn’t trying to economize this year I’d probably just do it. But now I feel as if it’s a challenge.
Related to my no-buy thrifty year, is a more aesthetic desire for minimalism. I’m not there but I wish I could be. If in the second half of this year I can combine no-buy with also shedding some stuff, so much the better.
I find having a WOTY can be a motivating touchstone for me when I’ve chosen well. This year I feel I’ve chosen very well. I had a brief moment today where I started browsing for dresses on a website, and pretty much the only thing that stopped me was my no-buy thing. Indeed, I almost said “screw it! I can buy a couple of dresses,” and then a friend who I ran it by said, “but think how you’ll feel after you’ve done so well so far.” That got me over the hump. The moment passed. I didn’t buy new dresses and instead I committed to going through my closet to remind myself what’s in there as far as summer wardrobe goes. I’m sure there is plenty.
I anticipate one exception, which is I need new running shoes pretty soon. I think that should be okay since it’s a well-considered purchase and my current shoes are reaching their training mileage limit.
All-in-all I’m happy with my word THRIFT and can already see a slight shift towards more intentional MINIMALISM in my future for next year.
It’s almost May 1. For me, this date signals a shift in my work, in my schedule, in my life cadence. May 1 is the last day of classes (although not the last day of meetings, or grading or exams). But still. It holds out the promise of summer– of beaches and lakes and forests and backyards and decks.
Four months into 2023, it occurred to me to check out my WOTY– word of the year. We at Fit is a Feminist Issue have been posting them for some years now. Here are a few of our posts:
I’m not sure how these words of the year are working out for me. Maybe it’s not my fault, but 2021 now seems like a haze, with transitioning from life and work entirely online to venturing into work and other people’s homes in person. I don’t remember how awake or alert I was.
Creativity is a good word for any year for me, certainly as an aspiration, a reminder of the joys (for me) of making, making new, opening up avenues for novel activity. I love me some novel activity; if you missed last Sunday’s post on my visits to an alpaca farm, float tank and the wackiest massage chair ever, check it out here. I’m not taking issue with my 2022 word, but rather it’s kind of a primary word for me every year. Does that count? I’m not sure how the word-of-the-year authorities would rule on this one.
Which brings us to 2023: Allow. Yeah, no. What possessed me to pick ALLOW as my word? I am sooo not an allowing kind of person. Letting things be, going with the flow, keeping cool– all these are most definitely not descriptors of me. And they also don’t describe how my year has gone so far.
Work life has been turbulent– coming back from sabbatical to a new department chair, hiring a new colleague, and adjusting to the loss of my dear friend and colleague Laura, who died last year. Home life has been fun but busier, with two out-of-town friends staying with me once a week while working in Boston. Active life has been opportunistic and not systematic, which is not an unfamiliar pattern but one that I’m not happy with. All of this points to one thing: I need a new Word of the Year.
Luckily, the internet has lots of suggestions. I checked out this site, and from all the ads, it seemed like her WoTY was Vrbo. Not helpful. This one had 244 options, which is just too many for me.
But you gotta pick sooner or later, so here’s my adjusted Word of the Year: Friend.
Of all the things I do, being friends with people is one of my favorites. Doing things with them, talking with them, helping out from time to time, and even allowing (yeah, I guess that word is somewhat useful) them to help me– all these things are what I consider my life to be about.
Yesterday I had friends over for brunch and then we went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for their annual Art in Bloom exhibit. Garden clubs around the area are assigned a work of art, and they construct a flowery companion for it. I go often, and it’s always fun. Here’s a selfie of us from yesterday:
Melanie, me, Deb, and Mari at the museum.
Yeah– Friend. That works. I’m shifting words, but I think this is much better.
What about you, friends? Did you pick a word for 2023? Do you remember what it is? How’s it working for you? I’d love to hear how things are going for you and your word.
It’s been a few years of working hard to handle what’s been on my plate. There’s the big job (no longer so new), a global pandemic, and now knee replacement surgery. I’ve drawn on my strengths and I’ve had help from friends and family and community, at both work and at home. Together we’re getting through.
It’s been tough and some hard struggles are still ahead. Academic budgets are tight in this province and some family members had a particularly tough time through the pandemic. I’m also planning on the second total knee replacement sometime in the coming year. So the challenges aren’t over.
At the same time I’m feeling the need to grow and expand, to learn some new things. I want to reach out a bit more rather than focusing inwards.
I wrote, “My word for 2023 is Growth. I want to expand in lots of different ways. I want to learn new things, make some new friends, discover some new music, travel to new places, read some new authors, and think about new problems. I want to challenge myself to think big and take risks. I’m not sure yet what the specific fitness applications of this new focus will be but I’m open to ideas.”
The more I think about it though I think I prefer the verb, GROW, to the noun, GROWTH.
I’m still not sure what it means for me fitness wise. I’m thinking a lot about that lately as I gear up for knee replacement number two and think about what’s after that. Long hikes I’m hoping. I’d like to lure Mallory back to New Zealand for some great walks.
It’s also time to think about 60, just a year and half a way, and what the means for my fitness plans and my life, in general. Another book with Tracy? Maybe. We’ve talked about an anthology, a collection of essays drawing on the bigger blog community.
I want to connect to with new work going on in my own academic discipline as well as branching out to learn more about what’s going on across the university.
But whatever is ahead, I’m dreaming big. I’ve got growing and changing on my mind. Have any ideas? I’m ready for new opportunities!
