(Do) What Makes Your Heart Happy

I love a fresh start, a new beginning, a blank page. I love birthdays and back to school, and I especially love a new year.

Except this new year. I wasn’t overly keen for this new year to start. This is the year that my baby will become a teenager. This is the year that my first born will learn how to drive. This is the year that I will have to come to terms with the fact that my kids are growing up, and my role in their lives is changing.

As much as I really, really, really don’t want this time in my life to end – I know that despite what I might want, time is going to continue to march on. And so, I have to make the most of the time I have left with my kids in the house. But what does that look like exactly? 

Well, initially it looked like a lot of list-making; Are there vacations we want to take? Are there places we want to visit or re-visit? Are there experiences we want to have? What books do I want to read with them? What lessons do I want to share with them? What do I want to teach them?

Of course, the new year is not just a time to reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead, it is also a time when I chose a word for myself – a word that serves as a touchstone to help me remember my hopes and dreams for the new year. Last year my word was Twinkle – one of my favorites so far – but I’ve also used Joy, and Love, and Magic as words in the past. This fall, in an article about words people use most often as their first guess in Worldle, I found my word for this year – Heart. 

HEART

• Personality, disposition
• Intellect
• The emotional or moral nature as distinguished from the intellectual nature, such as:
  • Compassion
  • Love, affection
  • Courage or enthusiasm especially when maintained during a difficult situation
• One’s innermost character, feelings, or inclinations
• The central or innermost part 
  • The essential or most vital part of something

Webster Dictionary

Ok, so I’ll be honest here. When I chose the word heart, I hadn’t looked up the definition. I simply fell in love with the idea of living a year filled with love and kindness. But when I looked up the “official” definition of the word, well, let’s just say it was a lightening bolt moment. 

Everything I want for my kids – and myself – is encapsulated in this one little world. I want us all to live with heart and to also follow our hearts. 

So while I started the year with some trepidation, I am now quite excited to see what this year of living with heart will bring.

Happy New Year. xoxo