Word of the Year: 2020.

I chose this word months ago and knew I wanted to spend a year with it. The word has several, slightly different meanings. I can refer to trying something over and over to get better at it. It can refer to the set-up of a doctor's clinic and work. It can mean someone's dedication to something like meditation. It can refer to devoting time to a vital activity with no expectations of any kind of success (though the repetition becomes its own success) or reward (though rewards of a kind do come).

My word of 2020 is Practice. 

I think I will grow into this rich, multi-faceted word. I will practice journaling, reading, blogging (it could matter to someone), and loving (a massive goal I can approach in tiny steps). Even getting ready each day can be a practice if I pay attention and put in effort for the sake of myself and others I see that day.

I'm not going to post about my word weekly as I did last year. I'll just post I have something to share about my word, which may be more or less often. And I'll blog about whatever else is on my mind.

Today, I've been practicing blogging! I had a lot of catching up to do. A practice can be exhilarating but is more often (for me) a comforting weight, like Oliver's weighted vest.

When I think of practice, I think of going through my thesis yet again at a bistro table, dancing hard shoe in the garage, and reading Phantom all afternoon. I need recent memories!

A Book a Day.

I've written about this before, but it interests me so much. I'd like to meet some people who do that--discover their habits and ask them about the effects of so much reading.

I might be able to do it if I gathered enough poetry and children's chapter books. Imagine a year of 300+ books! I like taking my time with books, but I don't want to fall behind, and I don't want to miss some treasure double-stacked on my bookshelf.

A new favorite movie of mine, God Help the Girl, has one song with the line, "I read a book a day like an apple." I love that. I do think that all kinds of reading can contribute to intelligence, awareness, imagination, confidence, and common decency.

Lately, I've become a stronger, more determined and more successful as a reader. This comes and goes depending on my practice. I've been reading for hours. Maybe that can get even better.

Rituals.

I remember reading this word in Alexandra Stoddard's wonderful book Living a Beautiful Life. I had no positive associations with the word until I continued reading the book. Ritual is close to practice, but it's more about when, where, and how one practices.

Almost every morning, I get up, go to the comfortable gray suede armchair in the living room and write blog posts. That seemed to pull me into the day and remind me who I am.

I follow this, usually spread through out the day according to Oliver's needs, with what I've been calling my other "literary tasks": journaling at least two pages, reading a chapter or more of each book I'm reading (two at a time lately), and responding to writing prompts.

I could build more ritual around these and other parts of my day. Spending time on my denim chaise lounge was a ritual last summer. Sometimes, taking a bath every night has been a ritual for me. Rituals can help me join in with life.

Watching for Wonder.

"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder." --E.B. White

Wonder is a reaction to something wonderful, but it can also be a practice. I have to take note (figuratively and literally) of the wonderful and look for it--it's almost always present and accessible, but it's not always a thrilling sunset or magnificent sculpture. Museums can help when one is too tired to search for and discover the wonderful alone.

Sometimes, someone near us experiences wonder we can't see. Perhaps it just doesn't match our tastes. But one can experience wonder vicariously by watching the other person's amazement and delight. Later, we can also ask the person to describe the experience.

Wonder can come in a book, in a children's book (if you want to wonder to be more obvious on an exhausting day), gardens, plays, a ballet, or even a pretty leaf.