Tuesday, January 15, 2013

One Little Word 2013: Delight

at Two Writing Teachers!
My "one little word" for 2013 has been rattling around in my head for a couple of weeks now.  I forgot to think about it in December, so I wasn't ready at all when Jan. 1 rolled around.  Oh no!  Everyone else was posting about their words, and I had NO IDEA what mine was going to be!

I loved my word for last year: CONNECT. It was the perfect word to strive for personally and professionally. Even though I didn't reflect on it as much as I should have, and I never got around to making the cool visual reminders I wanted to make for myself, it was there.  It was in my head and in my heart, and it really helped me grow. I blogged more, I took more time to get to know my students, I got intentional about sharing more of myself with my students, and I tried harder to build relationships with other teachers in my buildings. I made more time for my parents and my in-laws, and I even made small improvements in keeping in touch with friends.  Although that was my worst area, I did see (and email/Facebook/text) some special friends more often.

Last week, I'd finally pretty much decided on my one little word for this year, but I really needed to write about something else instead. But that was ok, because it gave me another week to make sure I'd really found the right word for this year.

And I have.  This is the one!  So without further ado, my OLW for 2013:  DELIGHT.

I love that DELIGHT can be a noun and a verb, so it can adapt flexibly to whatever's going on in my life. (Hopefully, having 2 parts of speech will help it to pop into my head more often!)  I prefer that my OLW be a verb, because I feel like a verb calls me to action.  As a verb, Merriam-Webster.com defines DELIGHT in the following ways:

It's so important to recognize that DELIGHT can reflect giving joy in addition to receiving it, because I hope to do both!  I want to DELIGHT in my life, and I also want my life to DELIGHT others.

Here are the major ways that I hope DELIGHT fills my year:
1. I want to DELIGHT in all the wonderful gifts in my life, personally and professionally.  I want to find joy and satisfaction in each day.  I will try to focus on the small victories at school and revel in the many DELIGHTful moments that I'm lucky to have with my family and friends.
2. I want to DELIGHT my students.  I want our classroom to be filled with DELIGHT in learning, sharing stories, and growing together. If there is no joy and wonder in our learning, I'm doing something wrong!
3. I want to DELIGHT other people as well!  I want to treat each person in my life with kindness and strive to increase the joy in their day, whether it's a close friend or family member or a total stranger.
4. I want to DELIGHT in more reading and writing.  I've been trying hard to squeeze more of both into my life, and I hope to be more consistent with making time for both this year.
5. I want to DELIGHT in other things that are important to me, like band and scrapbooking/crafts.  That mysterious future where "I'll have more time..." is really never going to come, is it?  Even if it's only every once in a while, I need to make time for myself.

Even if it's not your OLW, I hope lots of DELIGHT finds its way into your life this year as well!

10 comments:

  1. Great word, Jenn. I loved how you wrote about how you wanted it to figure in your life!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I took great DELIGHT in your post. What a great - and flexible - word. Such a lovely balance between giving and receiving delight.
    Thank you for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a delight to read this (used a noun, however). Great word & the way you used it helped you make the goals you wanted to challenge yourself with. No, I don't think that we'll ever have more time. I am supposed to be only working part time, & I feel busier than ever. I guess it's how we use it is where we find the time for OUR things. Thanks, Jennifer!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Enjoy a delightful year! I love that you will try to delight others as well as find delight in your projects. About #5..are you in a band? What kind of music? (The musician side of me had to ask)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Chris! I'm a member of the Active Band of the OSU Marching Band Alumni. (Not sure that's the kind of band you were thinking of...) We are an all brass and percussion band (like the regular OSUMB) made of alumni of all ages. We play a variety of music at concerts and pep rallies around Ohio, especially in the summer. You can click on "band" under "Labels" on my sidebar to see posts I've written about the band. What kind of musician are you?

      Delete
    2. The alumni band sounds like great fun! My daughter plays sousaphone in her high school band and she might march in college. I'm a 2nd violinist in our community college symphony. Music is a great stress reliever for me. I look forward to reading your posts about the band!

      Delete
  5. Your writing is a delight that I look forward to every Tuesday. This word will serve you well this year. Here's to many more delightful posts!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this word! And thanks for sharing all the ways you plan to seek delight and give delight in the upcoming year. My favorite birthday greeting has always been - hope your day is filled with delight from dawn to dusk! Here's to your year filled with delight!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Have a DELIGHTful year! What a great word to make sure you are savoring life.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This was my word last year. Enjoy it, I did!

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me happy and I'd love to hear from YOU! :-)