Over on Instagram I shared about how I choose a word for the year. I have been doing this every year for the last seven years and it’s been a game changer for me. Resolutions and goals for me have always been about the things or projects I want to accomplish, while my word for the year is more of an intention on how to BE in the new year more than what to DO.
This year I went through my process of choosing a word and landed on the word Savor.
That may seem like an odd word to pick but it captures everything my hearts been longing for lately. To slow down, really take things in, to remember, to enjoy, to not be so rushed I didn’t even taste the meal I just inhaled in the car on my way to work.
I want to slow down long enough to see the beauty again in the world around me. I want to make memories that are vivid and full. I want to be fully present wherever I am instead of always trying to hustle onto the next thing. I want to feel the pain and grief instead of drowning in it a Netflix show.
I thought it was a good word but I have also found that it’s not an easy thing for me.
When I think of savor, the first image that comes to my mind is savoring food.
To savor your meal means taking smaller bites.
It means you have to allow more time for eating.
It means you are enjoying your meal so much you don’t want it to end.
It means focusing on the very thing you’re eating and not thinking about dessert the whole time.
It means everything is chewed well and tasted and fully.
And I didn’t realize when I set out to do more Savoring this year that it comes at a cost.
Slowing down requires intentionally making more time. Saying “No” to many things and maybe letting some things go I would normally be strict about. I was surprised that it was uncomfortable for me to watch a sunrise in silence instead of knocking out a few business tasks or scrolling my phone.
When did I become like this?
I remember the awe I had for the world as a kid. The cozy rainy days I would just curl up reading for hours. All the early mornings I would sit outside and just watch the sunset and drink tea and smell the morning air thinking about how great it was that it was a brand new day and imagining the best.
I wasn’t worried about growth or being “perfect” or what other people thought. I wasn’t sharing every moment of my life, I was just living it.
I miss that.
And this word ‘Savor’ is a theme that I think will help me get back to that a little.
Do you pick a word for the year?
I’d love to hear what yours is in the comments!
Good luck!