My year (not Didion’s) of magical thinking.

This is not a post about grief. This is not a post about loss. This is not another post about how cold it is outside. But for the record, it’s still really cold.

This is a post about one word and how I want this one word to define my year in 2015.

I am in a period of transition, and I am not quite sure where I am going next. I have a backyard covered in a fresh layer of snow, and right now I just want to run around and make new tracks. I don’t want to make a list of commitments. I want to play in the snow with my kids and see how enchanting the world is through their eyes.

I had never thought about choosing one word to define a new year until I had read a question posed by the lovely Galit Breen of These Little Waves. She asked her Facebook friends and fans, “What’s your one word for how you want 2015 to be?” I scrolled through the comments and saw a lot of words that I wanted to steal for my own, but I decided to let Galit’s question sink in before making my choice.

What word will inspire me? What word will help me work toward my goals and take care of myself? What word will guide me through this journey of motherhood?

At first I wasn’t feeling a strong connection to any word, and I was also feeling a bit grumpy. I hadn’t had my coffee yet. My kids argued with me about what I was making for breakfast. And I was feeling stressed about our home remodeling situation. I hadn’t even been awake for an hour, and already I was worrying about anything and everything. While a million thoughts about bills, dirty dishes, and where I saw myself in 10 years were swirling around in my head, my daughter came running into the kitchen to tell me about pixie dust. She was full of excitement, squealing and jumping up and down while she told me about Tinker Bell and her ability to fly. My daughter was also curious. “Mommy, how do you make pixie dust?” she asked. Then it hit me. I could stand to sprinkle some pixie dust on my worries, doubts and fears.

I choose to make this year magical. Listening to my children chirp as I try to make breakfast half-asleep is magical. My world would be lonely and too quiet without them. Creating new rooms out of the old and ignored spaces in our house is magical. Yes, it requires funding and a lot of hard labor. However, I would not trade the moments I am able to spend with my husband designing, demolishing and rebuilding with saws, nail guns and countless trips to Menards for anything. As much as I cling to reality to guide me through life, I also need to see how magical the world can be. I need to jump up and down, giggle like my children, and ask questions about how pixie dust is made.

This year will be my year of magical thinking. I want to think about possibility. I want to allow my ideas to fly. I want to open my heart to enjoying the present moment without always having to know what my next 10 tasks will be. Living in the present moment –that’s magical.

There are dozens of other words tugging at my heart, but this year I choose to loosen up, explore, and give myself some much needed wiggle room.

Have you chosen your word for 2015? I’ve been so curious about what other words have been chosen this year that I decided to reach out to some awesome bloggers I have had the opportunity to meet either on or offline. I was thrilled to get so many responses back, and I am happy to share their words with you. I hope you find some inspiration from these ladies, I know I have.

Top row (left to right):

Nicki from MinneMama Adventures: Patience. She says, “I chose the word Patience. Mostly because, well, I’m not. But in 2015, I must be mindfully patient for many reasons…in everyday dealings with my rambunctious children, in potential recognition with my job and my writing, in entering year two of trying for baby #3…so many reasons that patience will be a necessity in the coming year.”

Galit from These Little Waves: Whatever it is that you LOVE, do that. The first time I met Galit, she had a beautiful smile on her face. We had just finished parking our cars at the Minnesota State Fair, and we were both trying to figure out which building to go to for a fun blogger event put on by Alice (Dining with Alice). It was, get this, a chilly, rainy summer day. Even though we were a little cold, wet and lost, Galit’s smile was all the sunshine we needed. And you certainly can’t help but smile when you read her writing. Check out why Galit has decided to live 2015 by this phrase here.

Sarah from Moderate Mama’s House: Attentive. On choosing this word, Sarah says, “I’m learning that I’m not the best listener and that I need to be more purposeful with my kids… it was a toss-up between ‘purposeful’ and ‘attentive’… attentive won.”

Second row (left to right):

Jen from Wonderfully Unkempt: Fearless. Yes, you can read this as ‘fearless,’ and ‘fear less.’ Fear has the ability to drive our decisions and paralyze us. Jen is ready to face the New Year by putting her fears aside, and she is already off to a great start after completing her first indoor triathlon earlier this month. Read more about why Jen chose ‘Fearless’ here.

Sara from Writing with Bangles: Proactive. Sara says, “Proactive is my way of dealing with my lifelong tendency to procrastinate & to guide me in preparing for an uncertain future. Whereas in the past my default would be to run away from uncertainty or change; my goal for 2015 is to meet any challenges head-on, embrace deadlines & anticipate what’s next.” You can read more about why Sara chose this word here. Thanks Sara for coming up with our own hashtag: #bloggersword2015!

Susan from Beyond Your Blog and Pecked to Death by Chickens: Yes. On choosing this word Susan says, “I picked ‘Yes’ because I want to say yes to a lot of new opportunities this year.  It doesn’t mean I won’t say ‘No’, in fact I’ll probably say a LOT of ‘No’ in order to have time for the ‘Yes’s’ I want to say.  I want to put myself out there beyond my comfort zone and make opportunities happen for myself so I get to say ‘Yes’ a lot!”

Third row (left to right):

Alice from Dining with Alice: Relax. Alice says, “When I find time to actually relax I often say to myself, ‘I need to do this more often.’ And I do. So in 2015, I’m going to try and relax more.  I’m going to try and take more bubble baths, stay in my jammies longer, maybe go to yoga or the movies and when the snow melts just lay in the grass.” This hardworking Minnesota mama surely deserves some more time to relax, especially since she makes our lives easier by providing us with some amazing recipes to try at home.

Beth from Life with Bethie the Boo: Embrace. Beth says, “I chose embrace –embrace new adventures and experiences and embrace where I am in my life.” In addition to embracing what the year will bring, Beth is also embracing her new mantra (and a personal favorite of mine): Let it go. Read more about Beth’s mantra for 2015 here.

Jennifer from Apartment-Wife: Generosity. Jennifer spreads so much sunshine on her blog, so it’s no surprise to me that she would choose generosity for her word for 2015. I have not met Jennifer in person yet, but this word seems so fitting for her. Read more about Jennifer’s word for 2015 here. You should also check out some of her awesome Random Acts of Happiness if you need some cheering up or another reason to smile big.

Bottom row (left to right):

Allyson from Allyson Wonderland Photography: Balance. She writes, “Being a word lover, I had a lot of fun looking for words that would define my 2015. The one that really resonated with me was BALANCE–evenly distributed, equally proportioned, steady. This one seems to work across all areas of my life. I am trying to get to the gym more often, but don’t want to swing into crazy person territory by not giving myself a break. I’m trying to eat better, but I still spoil myself with a bowl of ice cream now and then. I’m trying to plan an economical wedding that’s still awesome. I’m trying to find that mysterious work/life balance. All of these things require finding that happy medium, and that’s my goal for 2015.”

Christine, author of Open Boxes: the gifts of living a full and connected life, and blogger: Patience. Yes, patience is something I need to work on, too. I love how Christine adds the words, “Breathe. Be gentle.” I will be repeating these words to myself every day.

These ladies are awesome. And it’s going to be an awesome year around here. Cheers to you all and to 2015!