Word for 2021

BLOOM

I like the process of choosing a word to guide my year-to-come, of distilling my goals down to a small collection of syllables. I don’t always do it, but the end of 2020 has been a particularly good time for self-reflection.

Last year’s word was LISTEN. Truthfully, I didn’t do a good job of keeping my word front of mind, but I do think I practiced listening more, especially to my family members (since we spent so much extra time together thanks to Covid).

This year, I choose BLOOM as my word. The word appeals to me as I move through the upcoming shifts in my life (becoming an empty nester) and career (taking fiction writing from “wonder if I can do this” to “I’m doing this”).

This quote in particular speaks to me in that regard, especially as I face an unfortunate habit of comparing myself to others:

The phrase “bloom where you’re planted,” which seems to have multiple sources and interpretations, calls to me too. To me, it primarily means accepting my life as it is (as opposed to what could have been or might be) but it can be interpreted in lots of ways. This is a great blog post with 31 ideas of how to bloom where you’re planted, if this is something that piques your interest. In fact, I may post the calendar below in my office (along with the other images in this post) as a way to keep my word front and center this year.

I need hope to move forward into this new year. After living through 2020, the unknown seems a bit scarier than it ever has before. BLOOM seems essentially optimistic.

I was a late bloomer as an adolescent and young adult, and I think that’s true for me as I move into later adulthood. It bothered me when I was younger, but I’m happy to move slowly into the latter part of my life.

I’d love to hear your ideas for a word of the year for 2021…