One Word 2022

 

Just prior to the start of 2021, my One-Word remained elusive and hidden, so I decided to try something new. I had grand ambitions to choose a unique word each month, hoping it would anchor and guide me for up to thirty-one days. Starting off strong, I selected the word continue in January. I was hell bent on remaining persistent in my pursuit of a new word each month. As you can see below, I made it to June before falling off the one-word-a-month wagon. No surprise there. I am consistently inconsistent.

2022 now beckons, and as I patiently waited for my one-word to arrive, I rejected the initial iteration of a word I didn't want—consistent. It felt hard, heavy, and confining. I'm keenly aware of how my aspirational values are often misaligned with my practiced values, and although I have a deep desire to be disciplined, my ability to sustain patterns of behavior longer than six to nine months continues to prove challenging. As I considered the reasons for this ongoing struggle, the word patterns started to emerge. The word has endless possibilities, and something about it felt whimsical and mysterious. Perhaps if I spend this year exploring patterns of every kind, I'll develop a deeper understanding of myself and others. 

When I revealed my word to the my husband this morning he promptly quipped, "That's a math word, Tenille. You sure you want that word?" I smiled at this revelation because perhaps this will be the year I integrate and make friends with a content area I divorced years ago. All disciplines, including my beloved language arts is full of patterns. The secrets of the world and all its complexities have hidden patterns waiting to be unearthed. The emotional rollercoaster I ride daily holds patterns worth exploring. Anxiety and the ways it holds me hostage contains patterns I often wish to avoid. 

Like the first two years of this new decade, I imagine 2022 will be full of unpredictable twists and turns. Coronavirus feels like it's here to stay, and one pattern I definitely need to get underneath, is my insatiable need for stability in a world that feels like a perpetual dumpster fire. This year I'll seek solace in the patterns of poetry, music, and art. I want to engage in what Yolanda Sealy-Ruiz has defined as the Archeology of Self, excavating the patterns in my life that no longer serve the greater good of humanity. As I move through the next twelve months, I hope old patterns fade and new ones come into focus. May I pause long enough to notice.