one little word

“a single word can be a catalyst

for enriching your life” ali edwards

one little word® was introduced to the scrapbooking world by Ali Edwards in 2007.  I have participated  some years and not others. This year I feel inspired to have a word. As Ali says “A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow…a single word can be a catalyst for enriching your life...”

Ali asks us to consider if there is a single word that sums up what we want for ourselves in the coming year? A word that we believe has the power to help us accomplish things, experience things and weave it’s meaning into our daily life. My friend, Melissa of Daily Life Bits & Pieces did an amazing job of incorporating her word into her life last year, She was intentional for the entire year and shared with us on her blog once a month how her word was impacting her life. And by impacting her life it was impacting her husband, Robbie’s and her mom’s and her nieces and her friends. It was just very cool how it was making a difference in her life. Click over to her blog to see how FUN was evident.

Ali further explains…”It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word. One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.”

So, I thought quite a bit over the last few weeks about whether I wanted one little word® for 2015. I have seemed to know intuitively the years it would be a good fit and the ones that it wouldn’t. Was it feeling right because December is the time of year where so many of my blogging friends are sharing their word? Once I knew what the word was I tried to ignore the whole issue …who wants that word? @@ but ultimately I have realized the reason the word won’t go away is because it really is the word I need. I also needed it to keep tapping me on the shoulder so that I would think about the possibilities, how the word could do more than what initially jumps to mind. I needed to grasp how glorious the one little word uncluttercan be. Not to just unclutter my house, my studio and my attic but my calendar, my commitments, my goals, my relationships, my spiritual life, my journey of faith with God and the things that I choose over health. To uncluttermeans to be lighter, yes, physically but also mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It means to be free of burden and heaviness that can weigh us down in all those areas.

So unclutter is my  one little word® for 2015. Right now I don’t know how much of the journey I will share. There are some parts I most certainly will, some I most certainly won’t but in the end I am hoping I will be able to look back at 2015 and know that I embraced my word and was as intentional as Melissa about incorporating it into my being.

What one little word speaks to you?