2022: The Year Of Small

I love choosing a word of the year; it helps me be intentional about a focus for the year and is a simple way to keep myself on track. I started brainstorming ideas for a 2022 word in December and made a list to consider, but nothing seemed quite right. I reflected on the words I've chosen in past years: intentional, simplify, invest, persevere. They each served me well, but I needed a new word for a new year. In the last week of 2021, it came to me: small.

We're still in the middle of a pandemic. Lots of things remain uncertain. Routines are shaky. Making plans of any kind still seems ambitious. And all of that is out of my control.

However, the small choices I make each day are in my control.

I can choose to wake up early each morning to start my day with intention instead of being rushed and frazzled because I slept until my kids woke up.

I can choose to get my kids outside, when turning on a screen would often be easier.

I can choose to drink more water and go on more walks and consume less sugar, and realize that each day I do these things is a step in the right direction.

I can choose to spend a few minutes each day chipping away a little at a time at a project, instead of getting overwhelmed by the size of it (photo organization, I'm looking at you).

I might not have huge chunks of time to dedicate to creative projects, but I can choose to use wisely the small handfuls of minutes I do have here and there, spending them on writing or brainstorming or editing.

When the state of the world is anxiety-provoking, I can remember all the small things I have to be thankful for instead of becoming overwhelmed by things I can't do anything about.

My kids will only be little once. I can rush them through things, get frustrated when they don't go at my pace, or I can make the choice to stop and savor the small moments, remembering that one day these moments will be memories.

I don't need big sweeping goals or lofty plans this year. If the past few years have taught me anything, it's just how much is really out of my control. Scrolling the news headlines anxiously and worrying about things I have no power over doesn't do me any good. But making small choices wisely, forming good habits and rhythms, and trusting that small steps will carry me in the right direction; that's what I can do.

So here's to 2022: the year of small.