I had not heard of a choosing your own word of the year until two years ago; apparently it’s a thing among bloggers. Instead of resolutions, one word represents your intentions for 365 days.
One word? That’s a lot of pressure for one little word, and I have not been able to commit.
I understand the word of the year concept in terms of dictionaries. They are the holder of all the words, after all. So I consulted two of the biggies.
For 2015, Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is 😂.
Unless my eyes are even worse than I thought, that yellow circle is not a word. It’s an emoji, or more officially, a pictograph. Because calling it a pictograph makes it less ridiculous. While naming the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji the word of the year does reflect where we are as a culture, I find it pathetic. I refuse to believe that emojis will ever replace the written word.
Maybe my word of the year will be
I present to you Winking Dana with Sparkly Teeth.
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2015 is -ism. Their website states that the seven words that share this ending represent millions of individual dictionary lookups. The words reflect the world we live in, for better and for worse: socialism, fascism, racism, feminism, communism, capitalism, and terrorism.
Maybe my word of the year will be
optimism
a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future
a feeling or belief that what you hope for will happen (Merriam-Webster )
I hope that our country and all nations work towards eliminating the -isms that cause violence, hate, and mistrust. It’s a hope that’s often hard to hold onto, but I’m going to try.
These dictionary giants choose words (or emojis or suffixes) that are used frequently and reflect the zeitgeist of the past year. Yet there are so many words that are left neglected, and these words deserve some love and attention.
Consider the word valise. My kids had never heard of it, despite having used one on multiple occasions. Doesn’t valise sound better than suitcase? It’s a lovely word.
Lovely – I like that word, too. It can make anything sound more sophisticated. Lunch was lovely. What a lovely mullet you have!
Given the official words of the year, I can get behind any word that is actually complete, sans abbreviations or illustrations. No adorbs or LOLs, no emojis that are oddly cute piles of poo with eyeballs. A real, old-fashioned word.
In a serious attempt to find my own word of the year, I followed the suggestions in a Huffington post article, and started by making a word list of the things I want to do, be, or have in 2016. I drifted in and out of focus as I made my list.,
satisfaction, peace, productive, needed, new, risks, growth, connection, pride, adjust, live in moment, appreciate, enjoy, chocolate, awesome shoes, sleep, travel, stay healthy, get stronger, mellow out, laugh
Now I’m supposed to look for common themes and uncover my word. After grouping my words in different clusters for awhile, I was getting frustrated. I came up with moving forward but also accepting where I am, nourish myself and my relationships…
That isn’t one word; it’s thirteen, and it’s not even a complete sentence.
Knowing that giving up was not the best way to start 2016, I googled personal word of the year. It’s cheating, but I needed a word bank. Oneword365.com has one, and as I skimmed it I found my word.
Embrace.
Embrace the people in my life.
Embrace the things that are good, and be satisfied.
Embrace the changes that will come, and view them as opportunities to take risks and grow.
Embrace being a control freak, and embrace the lack of control.
Sounds good, right? It does, but it sounds too lofty and Kumbaya-ish for me. (-ish…now that’s a suffix I can get behind!) Maybe that’s the point, though. Making my word of the year plan or organize is easy; I do that with little effort. Embracing the spontaneity and messiness of life is tough.
Embrace it is.
Do you have a word of the year? Share if you do, so I can start my word bank for 2017!
It’s Finish the Sentence Friday! The sentence is “My 2016 Word of the Year is…” and our lovely hosts are Kristi, Mardra, and Allie.
One more thing…if you haven’t visited me lately and are interested in participating in the Who I Am project (monthly prompts to help you tell your story), check out the post about it HERE. Or click the graphic below to skip the intro and just sign up!
So funny that you said “ish” was a suffix you could get behind because as I was reading your post, in my mind searching for what could be my word of the year, I found myself thinking, “I like anything that has “ish” at the end.” And loe and behold you mentioned the same suffix. Coincidence? I think not. We have officially declared “ish” at the very least the suffix of the year!
Yes! I find myself using “-ish” quite a bit; it’s just such a great way to say what I can’t say with official words.
Oh, Dana, what a brilliant word. I embrace it and look forward to seeing its impact on your life.
Thanks Kelly!
I don’t have a word for the year, but I do have a weekly word at my Wednesday Word link up. I like optimism and embrace and might add them as future words (giving you credit, of course).
Here’s to a healthy, fit, and happy 2016; embracing all that comes our way!
Cheers to that!
I generally abhor (now there’s a word, but not fitting for a word of the year) New Year’s proclamations and resolutions. However, “embrace” is awesome. So many people want to change and improve and kind of shun things around them, power through and be badass, but to step back and want to acknowledge the good around you rather than want to replace it? That’s embraceable.
So embraceable, in fact, that I’ll toss out a word for myself – true. I want to know true in the truest sense, mainly of myself, but also of as much of the world around me as I can. See things, really see them.
Abhor…good word. Great “hangman” word.
True…I like that. I hope both of our words inspire us to live the lives we want to live, Eli.
“Embrace” is perfect. Any word that can be a synonym for “hug” and “accept” does it for me. Here to a year with more hugging and more acceptance!
Amen!
Love it! Funny story, I was telling my husband about blogs that I subscribe to and how some I don’t read and just look at the pictures and delete the email. But…I said “there’s this one that I read all the time. And she’s interesting and funny.” He asked me if you are a crafter/sewer. I had to say, I don’t know, but she’s a good writer! I keep meaning to show him your vacation photos, maybe I’ll sign him up for your blog. LOL
I’m so glad you like my blog, Tammie – thank you for your kind words! I am not much of a crafter, and I am definitely not a sewer. If you browse my posts under “create,” you will see that I often screw up creative projects…but I keep trying!
Love this post. It made my smile throughout. Who knew searching for words could be so fun? 😛
Thank you Shannon – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
‘Valise’ is a fantastic word, and not one I had previously heard. Also, having a word for the year is a great idea – I’ll need to have a think about what mine will be!
My grandmother used to say “valise” all the time – makes me think of those old, huge, heavy suitcases. And it makes me think of her.
Whoah, that was quite a journey you took to get to your word. Love it. Shows discernment! I don’t think Embrace sounds lofty. I do think lovely does, however. But embrace sounds like something my sister would say, and she is very down to earth. An emoji for word of the year? Good grief. Next thing you know, TIME is going to use a bitemoji for person of the year! Yours is lovely by the way!
Thank you! Yes, my thought process is usually quite the journey. 🙂
BAM.
Embrace is a great “year word.” It is both guiding and comforting.
Yes to that.
(And also, I agree with your take on lovely. It’s a favorite word of mine, too.)
Thanks, Mardra – and thank you again for sharing that article!
I’m so sad that an emoji was the word of the year, and -ism isn’t any better; however, optimism is a very good word to focus on for 2016 🙂
Embrace is a wonderful word. It evokes living in the present and experiencing the ups and downs of life and internalizing the things you want to and letting the others float by. You worked hard to come up with your word. Best wishes for success in 2016
Embrace is a fine word for the year! Meeting life where it is, and not where you’d might expect or hope or fear it might be. It’s a word of authenticity, and of hope, and of value.
(Darn, now I’m thinking that I should have picked embrace as MY word, too!)
Anyway, great choice, and a fun post. Happy 2016!
I am digging winky Dana with sparkly teeth…let me just get that out of the way.
I love the idea of bringing old words back and infusing them into our daily language again. In other news, I told my daughter she was a stool pigeon and she had no clue what that was…
Ooh, that’s a good one, Jill!
Heh, Des has a lovely mullet right now! I have to get it cut or I’ll burst. And I want to do, be, or have chocolate too.
That said, embrace is a lovely, lovely choice. And lovely makes it sound sophisticated. It is all that and more.
I love it! And I love the other 13 words too, including awesome shoes. 🙂
I always love awesome shoes!
Great word!! I think it’s odd that neither of the two “word of the year”s are actually words. What is this world coming to. Also, I’m sorry, but I don’t think even the word lovely can make a mullet sophisticated!
Ha – neither do I! I was trying to come up with something that could never be considered sophisticated, so I guess I succeeded.
Great word!
And I’m with you on that silly emoji bit. Makes me crazy mad. I just about lost it when they changed the definition of literally just so that all the people that use the word incorrectly aren’t wrong anymore. I’m all for evolution of language, but yikes! (end rant.)
I did not know about literally – that makes me crazy!! Ugh. I refuse to accept that new definition.
What a lovely mullet! Haha. Now I want my word of the year to be mullet. But nah. Words are my catnip too and it is hard to pick just one. I want something that means Letting Go, so it’s funny you chose Embrace. Maybe I’ll say “Forgiveness.” That sounds right.
That does sound good. I need to let go too…it’s one of the many behaviors I need to embrace this year. And always.
Embrace is a fantastic word for the year! Not too Kumbaya at all. How on earth can emojis be chosen as a word of the year? Don’t words inherently require letters…you know, a combination of vowels and consonants. Emojis are great and all, but definitely not words.
I completely agree! I couldn’t believe it. Lord knows what next year’s “word” will be!
I blogged about words of the year today too! I agree, emojis and suffixes are a bit of a disappointment. I LOVE your word. I’d steal it, but I’ve already chosen humble. I’ll blog about that one next week…
Looking forward to it! Great minds think alike, but then again – you ARE the word nerd.
I am guilty of using Face with Tears of Joy emoji too often instead of real words! But I agree with you: definitely no place for it as a word of the year. Although I love Winky Dana with Sparkly Teeth ;).
Embrace. It’s perfect. xo
I think so too 🙂
I so wish I could insert the “crying tears of joy emoji” after read “what a lovely mullet you have!” HA!! I love that this was a real process for you and, for what it’s worth, I think you already embrace life full on and without apologies.
I don’t have a word per se but I definitely need to slow down a little this year (mentally not physically of course since that would be ridiculous!) but try to worry less about the future and just live in the now. We shall see…
It’s worth a great deal, Allie, to know that is how you see me. Thank you. Live in the now – that’s a good goal to strive for. I need to do that too!
Lovely word indeed 🙂
Sending you a virtual hug as we start a new year, Dana
Sending you one back, Ruchira!
love your word. I was going to go with all the word banks and such because the thought of one word was daunting but just sitting here I thought…Opportunity- that’s mine.
wow, that was easier than I ever dreamed. totes ez. ha ha. I would add an emoji but my bitmojis are reserved for my phone only…I am very picky about who gets those (you happen to be the unlucky recipient of many).
One of my favorite words is lovely- my sweet Amanda who left us far too soon this year always said it and I started using it in an attempt to emulate her. She was the epitome of lovely. hmmm. You always make me think, laugh and smile with your posts.
I would “embrace” you but you are not here.
Opportunity – love it. So many possibilities, and all in your hands.
I don’t think I’ve ever received your bitmoji – please send it to me! I love them – you should see my mom’s.
We must embrace the next time we are together. Promise.
I think that’s a great word. I wanted to do this, but couldn’t settle on a word. Maybe I need to read the HuffPo article and follow the steps – or just check out that word bank. And, I cannot believe that Oxford’s word of the year is an emoji – that is utterly ridiculous!
I wouldn’t have come up with a word if I hadn’t been writing this post, but I’m glad I did it. Now whether I actually try to live by the word…time will tell.
I love following your process to your word choice. That IS a lot of pressure, isn’t it??? Seriously one word? I went with two words for exactly that reason. 😀
One word is tough. But at least it’s a word and not an emoji!
Perfect word – I love the word and your process! I am inspired!
You’re just lucky I didn’t make you participate in the process during our walks! Which are lovely.
Somebody slap me if I ever use the word adorbs! I do like emojis though. If you’ve ever had Siri read out loud a text message to you that had emojis in it, it’s very funny. Siri translates a brown fist bump as “closed fist with medium dark skinned tone.” If you’re send a row of fist bumps you’ll get the giggles.
As for lovely – I don’t use it in the sophisticated way – more sarcastically. Oh you didn’t like tonight’s dinner – lovely!
This might be my first year participating for real. I know I thought of a word maybe two years ago when this started up??? But it was just a word I picked and didn’t practice it at all.
I love what you settled on.
I’ve never had Siri read my text – I’m going to try that! I use lovely in a sarcastic way too – it’s so versatile, isn’t it?
When you have a new message say “Read new text messages” or “Read new text message from…” That’s how I “read” a text while driving.
**Embrace**
LOoooooooooooVE that word! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all EMBRACE one another & out experiences?
My “words” are Transform. Evolve. Serve.
Happy 2016!!! xx Love from MN.
Great words, Kim – I have no doubt you will do them justice. Happy 2016 to you too!
Dana,
This post is so You and (that’s probably why) I love it!! Thanks for sharing your thought process — as always authentic and full of humor. Like you. I will think of what my word is, but for now, I Embrace 2016 with you! 💕
P.S. You have to admit . . . This dude is adorable: 😂😂😂😂😂 But nope, not a word.
Yes, he is adorable. And I love emojis, but still.
I embrace 2016 with you too, my friend.
First, I actually laughed out loud when I read “What a lovely mullet you have!” Hehe. I really do like the word lovely.
Embrace is a beautiful word. Depending on how you use it I don’t think it sounds too hippyish. (And yes, by the way, to -ish.) I’ll be writing about my word — well rather, words — on Monday. One jumped out to me immediately in December, and the other quickly followed.
Looking forward to reading them, Bev!
Ahhhh see, now that’s PERFECT! It sums up all of those 13 in such a beautiful way. I love that I can imagine you (smiling, sparkly, with a twinkle and a wink) embracing all the loveliness and challenge of the coming year. I think you will find yourself more than equal to it.
I hope you are right, Lizzi! I’m going to try.
Look at you using the bitmoji things (me too but not in a post yet) and YAY to your word. Embrace. I can do that. I hope to do that with you, soon.
Me too! I’d love to see your bitmoji – you’ll have to message it to me. They always crack me up.
Fantastic word, Dana (and that is not to say that Optimism or Valise aren’t…)! Couldn’t have come up with a better one myself and I love that it took quite the journey to get there. I didn’t know the one word trend was a blogger thing. I remember reading Sarah Rudell Beach’s post last year and being impressed with the idea. I have a word that just sort of came to me this year without me doing any deliberate thinking and I’m starting to think that maybe I should sit down and write something to better process and understand my relationship to the word.
I love this post. It made me think and smile and I’ve missed you too, friend!
You should write about it Katia! I still think I need to explore my word more, but I have a whole year for that.
I love your word, I really do. And the post and I’m hoping all of this rubs off on me. Looking forward to Who I Am – hoping it’ll help me find what I’m looking for. Wait, isn’t that a song?
It is – U2! Not sure if it will help you find what you’re looking for, but it will at least give you one post a month to write. 🙂
Love the word, embrace and how you settled on it. Seriously think it is quite perfect and fitting, too. Happy New Year, Dana 😉
You too, Janine!