The anticipation and reality of a New Year comes with mixed emotion.
I often
feel a bit of sadness as another year and holiday season pass, which is also
goodbye to precious down, idle time with the kids.
It is also exciting and relieving
(depending on the previous year) but
never comes without an anticipatory anxious thread of expectation.
Inside the calm in the few days leading back
to routine and in the thrust of a new year built around annual events and new
adventures, I try and carve space to find a moment to focus on what I hope for
in the year ahead.
In replacement of the overwhelming task of creating a
detailed list of resolutions, I’ve chosen to select a guiding word for the year
ahead of me
(inspired by
One Little Word).
My word for 2017 is
curiosity.
Curiosity is a
word welcoming opportunity for growth, outside of immediate opinion, outside of reactive position
or decision.
When I think about
curiosity, I am reminded of its opposing counterpart, certainty.
Choosing curiosity over the comforting,
predictability of certainty asks more of us. For me,
Curiosity is:
Listening a little longer before judgment
or opinion
Trying something new
Less control of the outcome
Letting go and allowing trust in
faith of what is to come
Permission for doubt and
uncertainty
Allowing space for new things, new
thoughts, new ideas
More imagination, more dreaming,
more courage
Pause, presence and stillness in
the current moment
Time and intention to be more
thoughtful
Welcoming question and curiosity
Slowing down
Being open to revisiting old
habits and ways of doing things
Acceptance and gratitude for
things as they are
Opportunity to learn and share
Inside the vulnerability of unpredictable curiosity
awaits a neutral pause and promise for the potential and growth of a new year. Hello, 2017.
