Last year, I finally felt settled. The major conflicts of my personal life were resolved, and as I looked back on 2021 during its final months, I recognized how peaceful I felt. It took years to get to that peace, and although there’s a lot I can’t fix about the world, I’m happy and confident about my place in it.
Now that I’m where I feel I belong, I want to make the best of it, and for me, that begins with connection.
Connection is my guiding word for 2022, and it’s a word that snuck up on me, actually. I was dancing around with some other words that were more enchanting (even magic itself), but when I spent some time figuring out what they meant to me, I realized they described some form or action of connection—so connection is what I need.
Word, resolution—what’s the difference?
By now, the concept of choosing a “word for the year” is common amongst creatives. I first found the practice in 2016 through Sarah Selecky’s newsletter. She mentioned Susannah Conway’s end-of-year reflective exercises, and I’ve been following Susannah and taking advantage of her offerings ever since. Here’s how Susannah describes finding your word.
New year’s resolutions have never worked for me — in fact, I don’t know if they’ve ever really worked for anyone. They always sound like a list of rules that I know I will break by the end of January. They feel like a superficial fix to me. They feel bossy and rigid — I want to be inspired not instructed. Which is why I believe choosing a word as a guiding light for the new year works better because it feels so much more EXPANSIVE. A word can be embraced as a mantra, a meditation, a reminder, a promise. A word can be interpreted in different ways. A word can’t be “broken” — it feels gentler somehow.
Find Your Word 2022
Since I’ve been choosing a word over specific goals for each new year, I have felt a little more intentional. Have I lost sight of my word some years? Definitely. If nothing else, the process of unraveling my year and finding a word for the next one are great ways for me to reflect. They help me figure out what I need—and it’s up to me to be mindful of that over the next twelve months.
How I plan to infuse connection into 2022
Connection as social practice
Even though I’ve adjusted to the quiet of pandemic life, I acknowledge I haven’t put enough effort into socializing in the ways I can. I’ve been relying on artificial social connection—social media—to keep “in the loop,” but actual conversation—connection—with others outside of my boyfriend and a couple close friends is virtually nonexistent.
Why don’t I chat on Zoom or Google Meet? Initially, I was waiting for in-person get-togethers and was uncertain about my social standing—divorce will do that. But now, over two years into only observing what the people I know choose to present to the public, I crave time sharing ideas and perspectives. I want to feel like I still really know people and they know me.
Connection as writing practice
Writing—consistently and with dedication—has been a goal for years, but I was too focused on other things to give writing the mind space and practice it needs. With worries finally dismissed, I’m planning to retrain my brain to make writing the primary way I make my connections between ideas, feelings, and everything. I want to be engaged in a long-term writing project, but I want to write for myself, too.
I’ll mention social media again. I know my journaling dwindled as social media evolved, and I pretty much stopped sharing thoughts—for only myself—once I started sharing them for an audience. Sharing anything online has a layer of tailoring for others. I’m honest with you in this blog, but I am writing for this piece to be read.
I need more writing that’s just for writing, for making sense of the world through words and associations of words and associations building into larger narratives.
I will be honest—if I come back here next January and write about how I’m not writing, I will be very disappointed in myself!
Connection as spiritual practice
A couple of the other words I contemplated choosing this year were magic and ritual. Magic didn’t feel “serious” enough for me, and ritual felt too “serious.” But the power behind the words—the idea of connections having and creating power—is important to me, so as I embrace connection this year, I want to devote practice to my connection with the natural world.
Last year, I started reading The Enchanted Life by Sharon Blackie, but I really got into it during the past couple weeks. I do believe the world is beautiful, fascinating, and—I’ll say it—magical. In 2021, I got a little bogged down in the negativity of our world, which took me away from the magic. I want to keep myself connected to awe and respect for the world I’m fortunate to be part of it, and I want that to shape my emotions more than the news or bogus social media posts.
With connection as my guide for 2022, I’m beginning the year with more time to listen, read, rest, and of course, write. I intend to share more with you here in 2022, along with some other plans for connecting with you through my words.
Best wishes for 2022!
Do you practice choosing a word for the new year? If so, what word can help you in 2022?