My One Little Word 2014
I'll have to say this is the first year that I have subscribed to picking One Little Word for my year. I honestly thought it was a little cheesy the first time I heard about it, but the more that I read about others' experiences with it- the more I considered adopting one. The idea is that you choose one specific word to focus on for one year. I like the practice of focusing on one thing for long enough that it really changes you. As hard is it was to settle on just one, a certain word kept coming back up the longer I thought about it. My word for 2014 is CONTENT.
I think that this will be a difficult word for me if this weekend is any indication of my current state. On Friday I had plans to get a lot of errands out of the way, including getting a new battery for the van. My boys were even scheduled to play with friends so I could really be EXTRA productive. But when I went to start the van guess what? Dead. It wouldn't even start when we jumped it. So although my older boys did get to go play, I was stuck home for the day- my plans foiled. The baby barely napped and all of my projects required two hands and no babies so instead I watched a Redbox and felt pretty helpless and hostage-like. And I was pretty frustrated about it.
Soren offered to pick up a battery for me on his way home from work and let me go run errands the next morning. But guess who didn't get home from work on a Friday night until 10:30? And didn't get a battery? Yes, my plans were foiled again. We did finally get a battery on Saturday morning, but didn't get it in and running until about 1:30. Any by then I had had it! I was so tired of my expectations not being met and being stuck home and changing plans! Being content with the situation at hand was the LAST thing that I was feeling.
This year I really want to learn to be content with whatever cards are dealt to me each day. I want to be content with changed expectations or plans because I'm grounded in what is important and what makes me happy.
To make the weekend worse, I have a terrible habit of browsing Pinterest and blogs until all hours of the night as I lie in bed. Friday night was a night like this. I lose sleep and grow more and more insecure the longer I browse and let comparative thoughts creep in. By the time I finally crash- I'm an emotional wreck!
As part of being content, I want to be more content with who and what I am. I want to be content in the life and time of life that God has called me to right now. I am so often reaching for more and more and focused on what I'm not or don't have rather than what I am or do have.
I really love the word CONTENT because it is so connected to happiness and gratitude. I have noticed an empty hole somewhere inside of me for the last while and I think that what is missing there is gratitude. I too quickly forget everything that I am grateful for and instead walk around feeling anxious about what I am not, can't do, don't have or haven't achieved.
I'm sure there are many, many more lessons to be learned about being content than just these that I have listed. And what I do know is that I will be a happier and more peaceful person if I can just practice being content this year. Here we go!
Did you choose a word for your year? What is it and why?
