2023 in 365 words

(an exercise in brevity and perspective)

My word for this year was Rhythms. When I did the PowerSheets prep work and set my goals, I rebelliously stickered over the word “goals” and replaced it with “rhythms”—because if I’ve learned anything about myself in the last few years, it’s that I will not hesitate to give up on a goal the second I feel like I’ve already fallen behind. But a rhythm feels gentler, lower stakes, less rigid.

My rhythms for 2023 were:

1. Connect with local friends

2. Pour into each member of my family

3. Pay attention to where my money goes

4. Spend 1,000 unplugged hours on things that fill my cup

5. Establish sustainable morning, evening, and workout routines

6. Continually simplify my physical spaces

7. Nourish my mental, emotional, and spiritual health

8. Be productive, creative, and motivated in my career

Looking at these rhythms today, I feel mostly proud of the progress I’ve made. I cultivated friendships; was more present with each of my kids; tweaked my morning routine until it became almost second nature; decluttered the heck out of my house; went to therapy and practiced healthy boundaries; prioritized rest and creativity rather than waiting until I “earned” them; and had a couple big wins in my career.

And you know? Having listed those good things first, I actually feel entirely (not just mostly) proud! I intended to qualify the good with the “but”s—the parts I wouldn’t call a raving success (ahem, impulse shopping)—but there’s still more good from this year that comes to mind, like:

• Teaching line dance lessons to a room of over 200 people

• Learning how to be assertive when expressing my needs

• Keeping three small humans alive

• Rocking a middle part and only feeling slightly impostery

• Surviving my son’s first (and Lord willing, only) febrile seizure

• Making it to day 116 (and counting) of my Wordle streak

• No longer dealing with near-daily anxiety attacks

• Tapping into the power of audiobooks

• Cooking a few crowd- (and kid-)pleasing dinners

• Noticing more beauty

• Practicing more gratitude

• Going on more walks

• Relying more on Jesus.

Room for growth? Always.

But today, I’m making room for unrestrained, audacious celebration of a fruitful year.

Stunning sunset over Huntsville, AL (December 2023)

All three kids playing together(ish) in relative peace—a dream realized. (May 2023)

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This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “365 Words.”