Words of the Year

Last year’s word of the year for me was “grace” and frankly, it was a bust.

I chose it as my word of the year because I struggle with it. I can’t define it in my daily life; I sometimes know it when I see it but I often can’t conjure it up for others, or me, when I know I need to offer it up. It’s like clay spinning on the potters’ wheel that just won’t take form.

As a word of the year, it didn’t work out.

And… that’s ok. Sometimes it’s the struggle that is meaningful, not the success. And frankly, while I never did catch myself in real time, I did have moments of reflection through the year when I saw how I could have used grace in an interaction, or offered it to myself, and frankly, that’s practically a win right there. I always tell my clients that everything starts with awareness, especially “words of the year.”

Mr. Google defines grace, in the way I meant it, as “courteous goodwill” and you know, I wish I looked that up last year as this definition makes a lot of sense to me. I didn’t have to struggle all year not knowing how to put my arms around it. I just needed to do a Google to find a touchstone. Life can be simple, sometimes.

When I look over my shoulder, I can sometimes see myself giving grace in hindsight. But that’s rare. More often, I look over my shoulder at a mess I made with my impatience and frustration, and see that as an opportunity I missed for grace giving. Sigh.

So maybe it’s not grace itself that I struggle with, but identifying in the moment when I can give grace that I am struggling to get my arms around.

I guess that just means I have my work cut out for me in 2026. I think I’ll keep my eye on grace this year, while my word shifts to “listen.” I have discovered that really listening, deeply, honestly, is also something I would like to work with, and you know, I think this will help with grace giving.

We shall see.

Happy 2026 all.

Walking a labrynth offers many benefits, not the least of which can be inspirational stones...