One Word

I just glanced at the clock on my computer and realized there are ten minutes left to the first day of this new year and I find myself asking already ... "Where has the time gone?!"

My mother said the older I got, the faster time would pass... and I hate to admit that she was right; perhaps this is why I have been focused on learning to live in the present these past few months.  I spent so much of my youth wishing I was "old enough to...." and I have spent many mid-life years just waiting for this phase of life to pass.  And now I find myself wanting time to stand still.

Living in the present won't add minutes to my life, but I do believe it will enable me to better enjoy those minutes.  I cannot slow down time, but I can slow down myself.  Rather than focusing on doing and productivity, I can begin to focus on being and the sensory details of the world around me.

There is a movement in the blogosphere to select one word for the year.  One word that will help focus energy and bring about change in a very subtle yet permanent way.  I have participated in this tradition for the past two years.  In 2012 my word of the year was balance... a great word, but in the end, I realized was not at all practical.  Last year I chose the word peace... which moved me to closer my desired destination.

This year I did some research.... yes, I want peace, but that is a rather lofty goal; what is the best path to achieve peace in life?  I researched the definitions of words such as:  joy - happiness - satisfaction - contentment - harmony - tranquility.  And I concluded that one of the key ingredients to finding peace in life is learning to be content:  content with what you have; content with where you are; content with who you are.

Content to me does not mean laziness.  It does not mean that I will say "this is the best there is ... or this is the best I can be" and just lay down and give up.  NO!  Content means being satisfied with the way things are today.  I hope that I am never too old or too weary to stop growing, for to me lack of growth or learning is certain death.  But I do want to learn to be content ... accepting... satisfied... that what I have and I have achieved today is good (enough).

So my word for 2014 is:  Content.

And as I glance once again at the computer clock and realize that it is already the 2nd day of this new year, I will look back at yesterday and say.... It was good.