EMRACING the NEW YEAR!!

Happy New Year 2022! Can you believe we are more than half way into January! WOW! Its been off to the races since December and much to do with family activities, the celebration of Christmas, hubby's birthday, and new year all rolled into a few days. A whirlwind of beautiful activities circled around the most beautiful time of year. As January blooms and opens up a new world of possibilities I started to envision my goals. I absolutely love a new year as there is always a sense of newness, a sense of adventure, a feeling of great possibilities with a chance to create anything, do anything, or be anything your heart desires. I prefer to think of the New Year as a new Chapter, a blank page to write any story, to create a moment in time that you will look back and smile.

What does 2022 look like to you?

This year I've decided to have a "word of the year" I've never heard of this, however, I was nudged by my sweet friend (Lizette) my neighbor, and cohost of our Podcast. And if curiosity becomes you as of how this conversation went down head over to our Podcast show, Prescriptions for the Heart and listen to episode 21! Link above in menu, under Podcast!

So word of the year. What is that? What do you do with it? No specific instructions were given to me other than, if you could pick one word to highlight your life for the Year, what would that word be. JUST ONE WORD. It didn't take me long to think of a word, perhaps I just wanted something that resonated with the feeling I wanted to interweave throughout the next 12 months. A word that feels good, a word that can be flexible while taking on a deeper meaning, a word that was kind, as well as free spirited, a word that could stand the year 2022. Enter drum roll and sparking pink confetti here and let me introduce "EMBRACE", my lovely and full of possibilities Word for the Year.

Why embrace? Because I want to EMRACE anything and everything this year has to offer. I want to EMBRACE a year full of possibility, I want to EMBRACE kindness in a world that continues to endure uncertainty as we enter into our third year of a global pandemic. I want to EMBRACE the lessons in store for me, I want to EMBRACE the goodness, the realness, the trials, as well as the triumphs, the laughter, the tears, the hardships, and the frustrations that come with living in this day and age. I want to EMBRACE my past while staying present and making plans for the future.

So three weeks into January and EMBRACE has snuggled right into my life perfectly. I've been able to EMBRACE a new position as a yoga teacher at a new studio. I've been EMBRACING a new book club that's reading, Atlas of the Heart, by Brene Brown. A book about unlocking, expressing, and communicating emotions. Because understanding, expressing, and most importantly being able to communicate your emotions to the world is a vital tool for living strong, healthy, aligned, and balanced. So far we are one meeting and a few chapters in and I already highly recommend. I'm EMBACING some new professional roles as a nurse practitioner as well as embracing my creative outlets with love and courage. I'm embracing the multiple hats and really leaning in to doing more of the things that speak to my heart. Writing, creating, teaching, reading, being a wife, and a mother to three young men in their twenties. I have lots to EMBRACE for 2022 and its only the beginning. I have a feeling I will have a big chapter full of EMBRACING memories by December 2022!

I even had to EMBRACE an unkind woman at Walmart yesterday, as she angrily displayed discontent at me for placing my items on the checkout belt while she was checking out. She was checking out and done, I was checking in. She was flipping her hair, rolling her eyes and made an angry comment to me that I needed to wait my turn. She was angry and I was looking forward to unpacking all my new found goodies at home. I was in a different place and obviously had no ill intention. I was excited to go home and use my new steam mop. Yes, I was actually excited about a new mop. But in enters angry at the world lady, boo. And she took me by surprise. My heart started to beat fast and I felt a wave of WTF mixed with emotions I necessarily did not want to feel. In my mind I'm thinking, Hey lady, its Saturday and I just wanted to get some new cleaning products for my house. "How dare her, I thought, who does she think she is? she doesn't own this check out stand...and then I thought EMBRACE. Quick Erica, tap into yoga breathing, say a prayer.

Dang how am I going to EMBRACE this? And just like that in 5 seconds, I released her, I took to my phone, looked down, ignored her and emotionally moved on.

I don't know what's going on in her life, maybe she is having a bad day, maybe she just got some bad news, whatever the reason I chose to stay in my lane and not interact.

I gracefully EMBRACED the moment with kindness. The moment was not deserving of my energy and I gracefully declined not to interact for my own peace and state of mind. So that's my little story of how I utilized my word EMBRACE, in the most unexpected way. Oh world, I just love how you throw things at me!

So moving forward in the months to follow I will keep the word EMBRACE neatly tucked into my little purse as a weapon of kindness for all occasions, planned and unplanned.

Do you have a word of the Year? I would love to know! May you have a Blessed and fruitful new year, filled with LOVE, GRACE, PASSION, and beautiful moments that inspire and nurture you.

From my Heart to Yours,

Erica Jane

Leave a comment below if you have a Word for the Year! Tell me about it!