MY WORD FOR THE YEAR
Every year since 2006 I’ve chosen a “word” for the year. Instead of choosing goals, I choose a word and then I let the whole year be shaped by the experiences that I have with the word.
HOW MY WORD FINDS ME
Usually my word just “finds” me or something will happen and a word will seem to appear over and over, and I sort of just know that this is the word for the next year. I found my word of the year yesterday and I wanted to share how it happened.
I noticed the word “fun” a few weeks ago and let it roll around in my brain. It popped up over and over, mostly because I wasn’t having fun. Sometimes I try on the word for a few days before I choose it and that’s what I did this year. I practiced trying it on.
PLANNING FOR FUN
We invited my daughter and grandson to dinner on Friday night. I wanted to make it special for my grandson, so he chose some Christmas music and he and I put some decorations on the tree. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed candlelight and relaxing. It was fun.
EVEN MORE FUN
The elementary school near our house was also having a Winterfest that evening and I asked Oliver (grandson) if he would like to go. I showed him the Facebook pictures of what would be happening, and he thought it looked like fun – I did too. It was dark when it was time to walk up to the school, and a little cold. My husband and daughter weren’t getting ready to go outside fast enough, I don’t think they really wanted to go. They were taking a long time to get ready, and so finally I said – pretty loudly,
“Get your coats and hats, we’re going up to the school and WE’RE ALL GOING TO HAVE FUN!!”
THE BEST LAID PLANS
Well, it turned out, we didn’t have much fun… It was cold, windy, rainy and noisy. There were a lot of people and long lines for everything. I sent everyone out to find fun while I waited in line for mini doughnuts that Oliver thought would taste good. They couldn’t find anything fun so they all came back to stand in line with me. It took about 25 minutes waiting in line to get the doughnuts, and by the time we did get them, everyone was too cold and wet to enjoy them.
LESSONS LEARNED
When we finally got back to our warm, cozy home, I had to ask myself if in my desire to find fun, I had managed to spoil the evening. That’s when I knew that I had found my word. My first “fun” lessons included – if you have to insist that everyone have fun with you, it might be a warning that you are heading down the “anti-fun” path, and the most fun thing you can do sometimes is to stay where it’s warm and cozy, and not go searching for something better.
Do you ever spoil your fun by looking too hard for it?
