Every year I choose a word to focus on throughout the 365 days. I have been doing this for a decade now and it helps me to be intentional as life gets busy and I am stuck in the day to day grind (you know, the continuous hamster wheel that we try to avoid but inevitably get stuck on from time to time?) I am not sure where I first heard the word of the year concept but Ali Edwards has a nice explanation of how it works here.

2011: Peace
2012: Balance
2013 Grace
2014: Grow
2015: Content
2016: Play
2017: Connect
2018: Intentional
2019: Focus
2020: Beauty 
2021: Light 

Beauty was my word for 2020. I wanted to pay attention to the beautiful life that is right in front of me. To appreciate all of the greatness I’ve been given. Yes, we have experienced negativity, disappointment (some that felt so major to me) and heartache this year. But even in those uncertain, challenging times, can I find beauty in my day to day? The answer I found was YES. It’s there and in so many ways.

Beauty-in skin. 

I started to appreciate the skin God gave me and began a skin care routine at the age of 42!

Beauty-in our home. 

My morning routine includes time to just drink my coffee and look around paying gratitude for our blessings and the beauty in such simple things like a coffee mug given to me from a friend. 

Beauty-in nature. 

This has been one of my favorite parts of finding beauty this year. Taking my time on my exercise adventures to stop and watch the snails cross the path. Or to stop and literally smell the flowers. Or to stop and take pictures of something I don’t want to forget.

Beauty-in my body. 

The body of a middle aged woman doesn’t shout Beauty. But when I look at myself from a different perspective, it sure does! I am strong, I am healthy, I birthed three amazing humans and I am loved wholeheartedly by my best friend.

Beauty-in my mind.

I have struggled to recover mentally from my total hysterectomy. For a year and a half, I spent time trying to figure out how I could feel like myself again. I just felt very irritable even with exercise, meditation, reflection, CBD oil, you name it, I tried it! 

Beauty-in our relationships.

Between the one on one time I strive for with my kiddos, I’ve found there is a different beauty in each connection we have. My husband and I used to do a monthly date night and boy do I miss that. The grandmas haven’t wanted to risk getting covid at night time babysitting without having the chance to be outside with fresh air. So the alternative we found is the beauty in a cup of coffee together on the back porch before the kiddos wake up. Or now that we have puppies, the beauty in a quick walk around the block, just the two of us and a pup. 

Beauty-In my work.

I have found to focus on the work I love to do and find other team members to do what I am not skilled at and that does not fill me with joy. Of course there will be things I still have to do that I don’t LOVE but to find some beauty in that is possible!

As far as my new word goes “light” I will consider how this word plays into my professional, personal, family and relationship areas of life for 2021! I felt called to the word and so I chose it!