Peace

Like so many other people, 2016 was a particularly...rotten (I'd love to use a more colorful word or two, but I'm trying to keep it mostly professional) year for me. I'm not  just talking about things like the weather and celebrity deaths though. (though at the time of writing this, Carrie Fisher has very sadly just passed, so really 2016 can we be done now?!?)

2016 brought some huge challenges in my personal life. Last year, my one word was Focus. I found some. But the things January Amy thought she'd be focusing on were NOT the things June Amy had to actually focus on and December Amy cannot believe how long ago June seemed.

via GIPHY

So satisfying to watch. Every. Single. Time. (and yes I understand the ironic juxtaposition of this gif with the One Word goal I'm about to share)

At one point I joked to my therapist (no really, it was that kind of year), that though my professional life seemed to be finding the direction I'd always hoped for, my personal life seemed to be moving in a directly inverse motion.

Near the height of 2016's...rottenness, this quote came across my Twitter feed and provided a good kick of perspective. It was something I needed right at that time and it forced me to change how I was looking at my circumstances.

Though the process of finding my One Word has really been in the works since I saw this quote I'm going to keep riding it into the new year.

Peace.

1. Peace within my own life. While my hold on personal Peace has been more tenuous some days than others, it's stronger now than it was even a few weeks ago and I'm going to keep working toward it. There are too many things at stake to be angry all the time, and if 2016's perceived indifference to so many's plans and wishes has shown us anything, (please forgive the cliche) it is that life is too short to spend it in any way that makes us continually unhappy. So I will keep finding peace within myself and my new circumstances, because I do not wish to sacrifice happiness.
2. Peace for my students and my daughter. 2016 brought on some scary changes to the world and how humans choose (or more importantly do not choose) to relate to one another. While the problems in the world at large can seem overwhelming, peace can take form in many small actions by many people. In any way I can, I will actively fight (yes, fight) for the peace they deserve whether with activities in my classes, contact with lawmakers and legislators, movements and people I choose to support, and even the basic choices I make in my every day interactions.

This is going to mean a more solution seeking and less complaining. More reaching out and less quiet seething. More standing up and less frustrated acceptance. More understanding and less judging. It's going to be bumpy and messy, and I'll probably screw up more often than I'd like to imagine, but I'll keep trying.

Peace is worth the laser focus of a One Word goal.