Word of the Year 2014: Embrace

In the eleventh hour on the final day of January, I will finally commit to a word of the year. I've been pondering on what word I should choose since December, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go with my initial inspiration or try to come up with something more interesting. Because we all know that everyone else's ideas are always more interesting, right? But I didn't want to copy anyone else either. I have unique circumstances, and I believe this word came to me because it is what I need to strive to do better at in my daily life.

The word embrace is an action word; it's something we do. I want to embrace life more fully this year. I'm not talking about taking a walk on the wild side more than I flirt with it already. I'm talking about taking time to embrace each moment I am given, stepping back to appreciate what I have in the moment, and stopping the practice of wishing for something more. To embrace the ever present love that surrounds me and not allow anything or anyone to detract from my recognizing that I am loved.

Embracing differences and sameness with deeper appreciation.  Embracing my faith. Embracing my successes and embracing what I learn from my failures. I want to embrace the many layers of life in which there are room to pull them closer. 

Embrace is also a label to describe something we do when we hold onto each other, more simply known as a hug. When I am in an embrace with my children, I want to be more present and embrace them with more emotion, so they might know with a surety that they are loved. There are days when I am on empty, and I can't seem to muster enough warmth in the hugs I give. I want that to change this year.

I hope to more often embrace friends and family, in both senses of the word. 

Another thing I thought of is that, just maybe, a few of you might want to work on embracing life more fully, too. Join me. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be glad you did. 

Past Words of the Year:

Word of the Year 2011

Word of the Year 2012 Follow Up and 2013 Introduction