17 Comments

Thank you for writing this piece. It’s graceful, and practical. I appreciate that the word tend emerged as you thought about your garden. After all, winter contemplation of what you might plant in the spring is a delight in itself. Picking a word with weight for the year versus a resolution is something I’ve done before but I forgot about it - thanks for the reminder.

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Glad it was helpful! Sometimes I don’t need a word as much as I do right now. I feel like this one will come in handy. I’d love to hear your word if you choose one. ✨

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I absolutely love this, and feel it will truly help me to be more intentional with my year. Build will be my word for the year. Build my relationships with friends, family, and coworkers. Build my career. But most importantly, build my self confidence. Last year was a recalibrate year for me, this year will be my building year!

Thanks for sharing!

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I love this for you. Glad you found it helpful! ❤️

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Oh "tend", a lovely word with a great intention. Mine will be presence, I definitely need some of that. My focus will be on experiencing the present moment without trying to change it.

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That sounds like a wonderful intention.

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This is wonderful. I used to start my yoga classes with a simple intention and love the idea of applying this to my year ahead. Simple and succinct. Thank you.

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I always love setting an intention at the beginning of yoga. I find that it’s often not to judge myself for being “worse” at yoga than I was as a younger person.

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Not judging yourself. Just bring where you’re at. A very wise intention ✨

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Love the word 'Tend', love the picture that goes with it.

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Tend is such a great word of the year. This really inspired me.

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I’m glad it found you, and I’d love to hear if you find a word for yourself!

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I have meditated for several years now on “thriving people and nature” as my core purpose and my word for 2024 was “Thriving”, not least because I had just emerged from a very tough year.

This year I found my word during Advent waiting: fun, rooted in another verse to ponder: “The joy of the Lord is my strength” and a simple question which arose from various sources around writing and finishing my textbook: “what if this was fun?” A counterbalance to the strenuous effort which I usually put into serious matters!

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I love this! A colleague once told me to “have fun!” during a very busy time at work, and instead of rolling my eyes, I asked myself what fun would look like given the circumstances. It really did help me approach the day with less angst. I hope it brings lightness your way as well!

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This suggestion feels so attainable, cut to the quick, don't dilly dally, room for flexibility. Almost like a secret code word that can be mumbled when the self needs a little reminder.

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Yes! It’s a little nudge to help us remember how we want to be, not a list of things to “achieve.”

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Tend! What a great word. I haven't had a word stand out to me yet, but in the past I've also been given words. Some Christian churches do "star words" for epiphany, where without looking, you take a word written on a paper star off the altar or out of a basket. I've also seen some online word generators online, if people are looking to be given a word that might resonate.

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