One Word

I appreciate the fleeting colors announcing a new day out my back window.

I appreciate the sun graphic that pops up center screen in gray alongside the words: this folder is empty, the aol way to say all emails have been read.

I appreciate this cat curled like a cinnamon bun in my lap making those warm sounds better than even the soft white-icing fur on his back.

I appreciate the first face of the calendar, January’s squares not yet filled, the attempt to keep plans unobtrusive, small tracks in snow, with delicate ink lines.

I appreciate that I have the morning before I go to a month-long commitment of afternoons as a substitute—and that my drive there is under 10 minutes.

I appreciate that my community has an active commitment to composting especially after reading an article yesterday about the effects of massive food waste on our environment. I appreciate that raising public awareness can reap great rewards and that often it is children who have been learning about this in school who lead their parents.

I appreciate that my family is nearby and I can see them more often than I have in the past.

I appreciate that I didn’t have to fly, didn’t have to drive great distances, didn’t have to travel at all over the holidays—that my happy place is where I am, and I got to nestle in.

I appreciate that I have the potential of a year in front of me to grow, learn and laugh.

Can you guess what I chose as my One Little Word (and it’s not little at all)?

10 thoughts on “One Word”

  1. That’s a perfect word! I love that you are choosing to focus on all that you appreciate. I’m working on my gratitude goals this week for the year, and I’ll be doing a lot of what you’re doing. My OLW this year is PRAY. There’s a lot of appreciation in my prayers, too, and I am convinced that prayer and appreciation keep me focused on what’s important – – and not what’s not. Great post. Happy New Year!

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  2. What a great word to choose. There is so much to appreciate that we don’t always take the time to do so. It doesn’t just have to be the big things that happen in our lives that we need to focus on. There are so many little things happening every day that fill us with joy that we also need to acknowledge. I appreciate your comments on my blog.

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  3. These are all wonderful things to *appreciate* in life. I’ve been working on a “it could have been so much worse” way of seeing life’s unpleasantries. I just had a conversation w/ a teacher in the building where I’m subbing about how we should embrace slow reading in this fast-paced world and told her about Tom Newkirk’s book “The Art of Slow Reading.” I love the way so many posts today are about taking time and noticing.

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    1. In our rush to get things done, we forget to take it slow. Teachers feel pressured and that makes it even more difficult.

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