I can’t believe how fast the month of January sped by this year around. Usually it is a slow month in addition to being one of the darker and longer ones. But alas here we are already one week into the month of February. I usually share much sooner than this what my “word of the year” will be. In case you are unaware of this tradition or habit of mine, here are links to the three previous blog posts about the topic:
I knew back in November what my word would be for 2022: Trust.
This is a year to trust in myself, as well as others. For example, after 37 years of service one of our Turkish librarians retired last month. I have to trust that myself, as well as the rest of the recruitment team, can find the best replacement candidate to join our team. The position won’t be filled until the start of the new school year (August). I am glad we can take our time. It will also be a new experience to train a new staff member–at every previous school and position I have inherited my staff members. This is my first time to (a) celebrate the retirement of a direct employee, and (b) to interview for, select, and hire a new team member. I have trust, and hope, that we will find the right person.
There may be chance and opportunity for my housing situation to change this coming summer as a result of some foreign colleagues moving on to other countries. But this is a tricky equation with many variables. There is no guarantee I will move. Ziggy and I are comfortable in our current home where we are now in our fourth year. I walk just three minutes from my apartment to my library and that’s a beautiful thing! And yet, a different apartment that could have a second bedroom for guests, and the potential for a sea view, well, those characteristics have their appeal as well. I am going to trust that the universe will provide what is meant to be, and I will be grateful for whatever it is, and is not.
These are just two examples of how I think I will need to trust this year. Of course I want to trust that COVID will move into our rearview mirrors and that international travel restrictions will ease. I will trust in my friends and family to be there for me. I will trust myself to know what to pursue and what to let go of. And I will put trust in those around me–my colleagues at school, my friends, and even those whom I just have short interactions with.
At the recent Caveney Clan holiday I offered up the invitation to family members to also choose a word for the year. I had included the original article by Debbie Macomber (click the link to 2019 above to find it for yourself). Two family members chose the word Courage, and other individuals chose Embrace, Create, Tribe, Truth, Free, and Pivot. I look forward to hearing how their words show up across the coming months, as well as seeing how my word lives out across the year.
Did any of my readers choose a word for the year? What are you hoping to see or call forth in this year?