I've read many lovely posts by people that are picking their word for the year 2012. I hadn't really thought about a word for me, aside from the obvious choice, BABY. But then, that's been my word in many of the past ten years so that one feels a little anticlimactic. Choosing another word was easy.
It's the word that's been on my mind the most lately, though perhaps not in the way you might think. Of course, my role as a mother of nearly six children requires a healthy dose of patience. But patience with my children isn't quite as challenging for me, as the daunting task of being patient with myself.
I admit it. I want it all. I want to have all the time in the world to mother my kids superbly, love my husband to the fullest degree, serve in my church, volunteer in my community, and still have time to write best selling novels, all while eating three square meals a day, bathing on a regular basis, and getting to sleep at a reasonable hour. But lets be real. With so many kids in the house, many days my list of accomplishments is nothing more than the regular list of hamster wheel chores that even when accomplished one day, will inevitably need to be accomplished all over again the next.
And so, I will my heart to be still - to stop and savor and cherish the moments of today, focusing on the good - the accomplishments that no matter how small, still have merit, and I remember that soon, there will be time for more. More writing. More giving. More intentional time, less hamster wheel time. This year, I will strive to be patient - to be realistic in what I expect of myself and remember the joy of this season of life.
And now, because one word is never enough when you love them quite as much as I do, my second word is INTENTIONAL. I speak from experience when I say that being patient with myself is less difficult when I spend my time wisely. It's hardly fair to be frustrated over not meeting my weekly writing goal if I've blown three hours playing Thread Words on my Kindle. My free time is oh, so very limited. I must make the most of it and be intentional with how I spend my time. It seems reasonable to assume that a more intentional use of my time will then make it easier for me to be patient, yes?
Have you shared your word for 2012? What is it? If you haven't come up with one, what's the first word that comes to mind? (It's perfectly reasonable for that word to be chocolate.)
