Category Archives: One Word

One Word

On the Difficulty of Being

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Sometimes I get upset with myself for

Not returning friends’ phone calls
Having a huge pile of mending
Leaving the dry laundry on the drying rack for days
Neglecting to vacuum
Leaving short stories unfinished
Slacking off at the gym
Taking weeks to send packages
Letting dust and unanswered emails pile up

And then I remind myself that my word is Be, not Do.

I got antsy at my Friday class one week, feeling less connected, inspired, and transcendent than I wanted to be. I caught myself making a list of all the “more important” things I could be doing based on the return on time investment I thought I was getting. I could be reading important books, cooking or juicing, practicing Spanish.

It wasn’t until I stopped and settled into the “Be”, with a conscious disregard for the “best use of my time”, that I began getting everything from that class that I wanted to.

“Being” is everything. I forget this.

Balanced Living, One Word

The First Week Is The Hardest

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Who am I kidding? Not only is the first week the hardest, but so is the second, third, fourth…and the last.

This past week was hard in ways I can’t quite pin down. It was tough staying focused at work after all the holidays off (read: grand total of three). I never, ever, managed to stick to my plan of taking work two hours at a time to make sure I was getting enough hydration and nutrition.

I discovered that eschewing non-organic, bagged tea is going to be harder than I thought. It means my last option at Starbucks is no more. It’s too bad, because Starbucks is such a handy meeting spot. Also, I realized when I go to functions or to friends’ houses, I have to choose between accepting a chemical-laden token of friendship and camaraderie or being the person who declines in favor of her own, “superior”, stash. (Pro tip: this does not typically win people to your point of view…or to continuing friendship, either.)

(On the bright side, I fought off a cold with 10 cloves of garlic and lots of apple cider vinegar. I also made it back to the gym with my roomie. Our schedules have been quite off for a while so I’m celebrating the triumph of making a plan with her we both think we can stick to.)

I had spun out, my head filled with so many directions I NEEDED to go into, that I forgot my One Word was “Be” and not “Do”.

So I’m stepping back again, reminding myself that this year is about Being. I don’t need to strive for goals.

(With that in mind, I will be rolling out what I hope to accomplish this year at some point soon. Because as much as I’m trying to Be, I can’t help but Do as well. It’s too engrained in my nature.)

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One Word

One Word

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Is anyone else doing OneWord365 this year?

I’ve done it twice. In 2013 my word was “brave”, and all year when I had the option to choose normal or bravery, I remembered my word. I’m very proud of the risks I took that year and the personal growth which resulted.

For 2014, my word was “energy”. I was fighting the fatigue which lingered from The Great Mono Event of 2013 as well as negative energy around me, so the word held a double meaning. I worked on my health, which led to seeing an energy healer, which led to delving into the spirituality of energy. Less a guide word than a reminder; seeing the synchronicity was encouraging.

The year, my word is “Be”. I may take a secondary word as this one is so simple (and dare I say, maybe slightly boring?), but from the moment I was pondering an ill-written church sign and I identified the only truthful word in it, I knew it had to be my word.

I can’t wait to see what kind of amazing places this new word will take me this year.

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