Simple #oneword2016

in Random Crap, weekly reruns

Several of my friends have told me that I need to do the #oneword2016 challenge, where you pick a single word for the new year…one word that makes you focus on your main goal for the year.  Something like “passion” or “family” or “flourish” or “reinvest”.  I chose “simplify” because my life is too complicated for my head to deal with and I need to make it less so.  But then I thought if I really wanted to simplify my first step should be to simplify my word, so I cut it down to “simple”, which works well because it’s a simpler version of simplify and also because “simple” also means “ignorant or foolish” and that just seems fitting.  But then I thought that if I really wanted to simplify I should start by cutting out the extra work that I always make for myself so I decided to cut the idea of even having a word for the year.  Done.  Simple.

PS.  I’m not sure if this is how this is supposed to work but I do feel like I’ve accomplished something, so, fair play.

PPS.  I told Victor he needed to pick a word for the year and he just screamed: “RETRIBUTION!”  I told him he needed to pick another word and he chose “tanning”.  Hailey’s word is “grape”.  I don’t think either of them are doing it right but they seem happy.

PPPS.  Your turn.  What’s your word?

*******

And now, the weekly wrap-up:

sth

Shit I made in my shop (Named “EIGHT POUNDS OF UNCUT COCAINE” so that your credit card bill will be more interesting.):

Shit-you-may-or-may-not-want-to-see:

This week’s wrap-up is brought to you by Happening-Life.com a website for  a wide range of topics, including parenting, relationships, self-development, fashion, beauty and more. It provides practical advice that readers can apply in their lives and expand their horizons. Recently, the website delved into exploring the meaning of life and its purpose; questions that most people ask at some point in life and would like to know the answers to for a greater sense of fulfillment. It’s quite interesting.  Check it out here.

422 thoughts on “Simple #oneword2016”

Read comments below or add one.

  12. Priority. Not in an aggressive way, but in a “what do I want my life to look like and how do I make it so” kind of way. But you may tell Hailey it’s avocado because I think I should eat more of them.

  21. Hailey may be on to something…grapes make wine and wine makes wine slushies.

    I chose “completion”. I’m going to finish this novel I’ve been working on forever. I’m also going to finish making our rental house a home.

    I hope your year is as simple as possible.

  24. Oddly, the first word that springs to mind is “fisticuffs” which seems kind of violent, bu it IS a word that I love to work into casual conversation. Maybe my word will be TARDIS. I’d like to focus on the TARDIS this year

  30. I may take “simple” if you’re not going to use it. If I could reduce all my goals for 2016 into one word, I don’t think I would be seeing a psychologist every 2-3 weeks. I’ve started writing her essays to read at the beginning of a session which contain all of the stuff that has happened, which angst is dominant now, etc., because I can never think of all that shit when I’m in her office. Maybe my word should be “write” as in “write all that shit down”. Happy New Year.

  32. Fuck.

    It’s just so all-encompassing. It’s something you can do, something you can feel, something that can be done to you, it’s an exclamation. Fuck can be happy and sad and frustrated and awesome, sometimes separately and sometimes all at the same time.

    I think this will be word from now right through 2025. Look at me and how ahead of the curve I am.

  44. Offense (like football as in get tough/proactive not like offended or offending others)…apparently one word is harder than it looks.

  46. Bugger

    But pronounced “buggah,” like a proper Brit would say it, because it sounds so much more polite than plain ol’ American, “Ah, fuck.” Because my real word for 2016 should probably be “polite.”

  48. My computer is weirding me out today. Stuff I write seems to disappear. I already answered your question but the answer disappeared. So could my word be “nondisappearance”? Spell check doesn’t approve of either weirding or nondisappearance. I take that for a good sign.

  51. Changes. We will be out from under a super big financial obligation, and it will be a time for changes in our family. Can’t wait, it was a long time coming.

  52. Savor

    But Hailey’s and Victor’s are fabulous too. I’m now considering Savor Grape Vengeance. . . hmmmm.

    (Victor just came in and reminded me that he’d actually said “RETRIBUTION” so I changed it for accuracy. Savor grape Retribution doesn’t sound as delicious though. – Jenny)

  54. I chose mine before I knew there was a challenge. It’s plottwist, but I think it’s really two words so I’m cheating…but I don’t care, its my word and its a good one!

  58. Crazy….I did that last year…..hmmm…..organized (she says while she’s trying to find her car keys)…..Happy. I like Happy. That’s my final answer.

  63. Overcome. My divorce was almost two years ago and I really need to get past that shiny superficial shithead and his shiny superficial twenty-year-old soulmate.

  64. Fight. Because everyone is fighting one demon or another.
    If I get 2 words my second is LOVINGKINDNESS. Saw it in a Bible once (tho I don’t believe all of the Bible now) and fell in love with it.

  66. Mine is “compassion.” For myself and others, but I really have to be more compassionate toward myself.

  67. More. That’s what came to mind, because I can add it most anything. More compassion. More strength. More cookies. See?

  68. I actually love this concept (cheesy, I know). Every yoga class, they ask you to set your “intention.” It’s not a resolution or a goal. It’s simply an intention. Since I am WAY too distracted to set one every couple of days, I go with a yearly one. The first year was to “be fearless,” followed by “to heal” and this past year, “to find love” (not romantic love, but a love for the world around me and myself). This year my intention is to “succeed” – I am going to need the regular reminder so I don’t give up on my dreams!

  69. @CraftyHope, Savor Grape Vengeance sounds lovely. I do believe I’ma pour myself a glass of grape vengeance right now.

    Oh, and my word for 2016? CAKE. Because every day I survive and thrive? Totally cake. The delicious stuff, with the really good icing. I keep forgetting to enjoy the moments. Not this year. (She said hopefully.)

  75. My first thought was ‘balance’ – but that was last year & I’m not sure how well I did with it. Instead of repeating it this year, for 2016 I want ‘improvement’

  77. Growth – but not like an actual growth, Ewwww….that would just be gross…

  78. Health- because my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and I am too young to be having to take high blood pressure medicine!

  79. Move! It’s time to move to the city I love, out of the career that is leaving me too exhausted to be part of my family.

    I should probably also move, as in exercise, but I’ll probably do enough of that when I pack and move my stuff. Simplify really should have been my word last year.

  84. Recover. After surviving 2015, I’m keeping my goals very basic, for myself and, possibly, the country.

  89. Smile. Wait i don’t think that’ll work. Well how about only when the occasion calls for it. Cause I don’t want to be that odd person smiling at a funeral or when someone’s crying in front of me. So only at happy times…….I may have to get back to you this is harder then I thought. I’ll add it to my resolution to do list haha

  92. My word is “cordless frappuccino,” which technically isn’t one word but it is a phrase. It’s not a common phrase, but have you ever had a frappuccino that was corded? Me either.(I’ve never had a frappuccino at all, but that shouldn’t count against me because I like tea better.) Plus I can make all kinds of new words out of it that apply to daily life, like crap, confuser, cup, scar, cool, and pus.

  95. I am trading “sorry” for “thanks” because my son says I tell everyone ‘sorry’ all the time.

  97. Deal, because there are a lot of things I just have to deal with. (Including ending sentences with prepositions. )

  101. Yes. This year I will say yes more often, hopefully opening myself up to more opportunities for joy.

  104. I word would be mindful! As I have been working to incorporate mindfulness into every part of the life. This has been a difficult task as I also live with anixiety and it is hard to focus on the present moment when you have thousands of thoughts in your head at any given moment. However, I’m working on it. This past week I read both your books mindfully. They were great!!!

  105. I think I will go with PROGRESS.

    Because that is what I feel like I’m making in so many areas of my life. Except romance, but what did I expect when I moved to a completely different culture. Romance can be on the back burner for now.

  106. PJ’s are good in most situations; and though it’s two words: naps are good. So is”grape” as it’s the basis of wine

  107. My word is “shit” because the year turned to shit on Jan 1st & I figure if all I expect is more shit, at least I won’t have to deal with the unpleasant surprise when that’s all I get. I’ve tried “hope” and it never works, so now I’m just going to lie back and enjoy my time up the creek without a paddle. Sorry to be a downer, but one thing I try really hard not to do is lie. And fwiw, I can deal with shit. Been doing it for years, so one year more is nothing.

    One thing I do hope, though, is that the universe is so busy crapping on me that it leaves the rest of you alone.

  108. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

    Because if I get only one word, I’m going to make it a long one. Also, I can use it to mess with autocorrect, so there’s a bonus.

  112. Movement. I wanted to pick activity but that sounded too hard., I’m going to concentrate on moving. Also, I bought a calendar (yay) but I was kinda disappointed that by CC receipt didn’t say 8 lbs of uncut cocaine.

  115. Today. Because I need to stop rehashing the past and worrying about the future.

  116. Listen. I have so much to learn from others, but often I talk way more than I listen to what they have to say.

  119. Brave. We’re moving to Japan, which is amazing, but my husband, who was deployed for 8 months, was only home for 5 weeks before he left for Japan. I have to get the house ready to sell, and deal with all the military stuff of moving and getting the cats to Japan. And my daughter doesn’t want to move. And then, we’ll be in Japan. Where I want to explore everything. So, overall, I just need to be really, really brave this year.

  120. cats. Because lets face it, I’m just going to post cat pics, look at cat pics, and play with my cats.

  121. Mine is “organize” because I need that. My teen said “blankets” because it’s 30* and she’s cold. Five-year-old said “I don’t know.” I told her that was three words and she had to pick one, so she said “Okay!” And skipped off. My husband is a day sleeper and I didn’t want to wake him so I asked very quietly and he said snore. These really work for all of us.

  124. I think my word for this year might just be “Go”. I want to get out there and do more things, which prior to now I haven’t done because I’m single. So this year I’m going to just go more places; when I see an event that looks like fun, I’m just going to go and I intend to enjoy myself along the way 🙂

  126. Amtrak

    because in 2016 I will haul my ass out of this assisted living setup and go see the country. I can’t drive anymore and cars are scary and painful and people are scarier. But I bet those private two-person cabins on Amtrak are tolerable. And I will be hiring an aide-travel pal who gets to travel on my dime and see tons of this country in return for keeping me sane-ish so if you are a student who can do long-distance classes on the road and you’re based near Chapel Hill NC, follow the website and get in touch.

    I own no taxidermied animals but I did buy a casket already. If that helps.

  128. My word is “Thanks”, because I need to say it a lot more this year. And first, I’m starting with you, Jenny! Thanks for giving the world a little window into your life with your blog and your books. You probably don’t know this (or maybe you do…I can’t say what you do and don’t know!) but that little window is extremely important to those of us in the world who share some of your struggles with anxiety and mental illness. I often feel like I’m on my own shitty island of misunderstood anxiety and your writing disproves that! Thanks for giving me hope and for reminding me not to take myself too seriously. Thanks for helping some of us hang on!

  129. Hmm… one word huh? I’ll probably have to blog about it first. Ya know, cause that’s what we do. In other news, great post! It got me thinking, and laughing! Love the more subtle sense of humor 🙂

  136. My word is going to be “Fiercely.” When I decide to do something this year, I am going to do it fiercely and with my whole heart. 2015 was a sh!tty year for me and I am not going to let this year be like that. I want to commit myself and be happy with the decision, even if I fail because I will have learned from it.

  138. I didn’t have a word until I read #7 (Nikki Gilbertson “My word is “moment” because my mantra this year is ‘This is just a moment. Rise above it.'” And that’s beautiful. So, thank you, Nikki.

  140. Live…feel so stuck sometimes and hide away because I’m stuck.This year I want to chuck being stuck and hiding away. Lots of other things I need/want to do but I need to get unstuck to do them.

  141. Play. It’s risky as an adult to play, but that’s where breakthroughs, innovation, and fun happens…so if you need me, I’ll be in the sandbox.

  146. I like “do” and I like “create” for my word, but since I can’t choose between them, I’ll just go with “poodle”, because my two standard poodles get me to go out and do stuff (mostly walk in the woods)
    everyday.

  152. brave
    Lower case “b” on purpose. I’m getting worse as I age. I am uncomfortable with new people and situations, but I’m forced to go to new places and meet new people because I have 2 sporty, outgoing, children. I will be brave for them.

  153. Yes.

    Yes to possibility. Yes to trying new things. Yes to believing in my talents. Yes to rewriting my novel and submitting my short story. Yes to honoring my inner voice. Yes to deciding to do nothing if that’s what feels right. Yes to giving myself permission to be imperfect. And if some wonderful guy comes into my life and asks me to marry him, without hesitation I’ll say: yes.

  158. RIB. It’s an acronym I came up with to assist me in a process of befriending three of my personal demons. Most folks would refer to these as feelings but, it helps me to be mindful of these feelings if I identify them. Mustering the courage and self-compassion needed to recognize and befriend my feelings of Rage… Isolation… and Bitterness is a necessary strategy in my efforts to assassinate all three of them but, I didn’t feel comfortable about claiming “murder” or “assassination” as my word for the year. So, yeah… in the spirit of simplicity, I’m going with RIB as my word for 2016.

  165. Curiosity. Seeing where it takes me, learning, exploring. It’s a driving force in my life. And, no, I’m not a cat. So it’s not going to kill me. Just my old perceptions.

  166. Joy.

    Also, may I point out that Victor choosing “retribution” sounds like maybe the subliminal messaging you subject him to in his sleep is paying off?

  170. Happier.
    Last year was pretty awful, really the worst, so being happier should’ve be hard. But I want to make a conscious effort to be happier in the moment, with all the wonderful things I do and will have. Also I’m going to Dublin for a week coming up and that should get things off to a good start!

  172. My word is CHOOSE. Happy or sad? Pizza or salad? No matter what- I’m in control. ROAR!

  173. Persevere.
    Make it through school and being dead broke all at the same time. If I can do that for a year I will be golden.

  174. My husband had liver failure this year. We spent NYE 2015 in the hospital. The entire year was spent in hospitals, watching my manly nerd shrink and become weak. My mother in law, bless her heart, was overly anxious, bringing a bunch of stuff to the hospital. At one point, she brought canned goods. To the hospital. She made me completely crazy, for a bunch of reasons. Part of the liver failure includes encephalopathy, which makes a person lose touch with reality, become confused, act drunk or belligerent, so that was awful, and at times, hilarious.
    His new liver came when he was very close to dying, on October 15th. By then, i was exhausted, sick of hospitals, and sick of family members. My house was a nightmare dump, with 2 dogs and 2 cats, one of each somehow completely forgetting all the housebreaking rules.
    So…i declared, on Jan 1, that this is my year of restoration. Restoring my body, my mind, my soul, my relationship with my husband (known around town as the Sexy Tim P.), Restoring my attitude, Restoring my discipline, Restoring my peace, and slowly, reluctantly, Restoring my house to non-condemnable standards.

  175. Hustle – Because I have a whole lot of things I want out of life and it’s going to take some hustle to get there.

  176. My husband had liver failure this year. We spent NYE 2015 in the hospital. The entire year was spent in hospitals, watching my manly nerd shrink and become weak. My mother in law, bless her heart, was overly anxious, bringing a bunch of stuff to the hospital. At one point, she brought canned goods. To the hospital. She made me completely crazy, for a bunch of reasons. Part of the liver failure includes encephalopathy, which makes a person lose touch with reality, become confused, act drunk or belligerent, so that was awful, and at times, hilarious.
    His new liver came when he was very close to dying, on October 15th. By then, i was exhausted, sick of hospitals, and sick of family members. My house was a nightmare dump, with 2 dogs and 2 cats, one of each somehow completely forgetting all the housebreaking rules.
    So…i declared, on Jan 1, that this is my year of restoration. Restoring my body, my mind, my soul, my relationship with my husband (known around town as the Sexy Tim P.), Restoring my attitude, Restoring my discipline, Restoring my peace, and slowly, reluctantly, Restoring my house to non-condemnable standards.

  177. Feed. So much hunger everywhere. Feed the disadvantaged. Feed your neighbors. Feed strangers. Feed family and friends. Give them good food, give them hope, give them love. Feed them all.

  178. Stop. Stop responding to triggers. Stop and take a breath. Stop bashing myself.

  181. Patience. My anxiety disorder doesn’t like that word at all — it must all be fixed, all scary things must go away, all negative emotions must vanish, nownownow — but my life is filled with things that can only be resolved with time and patience, so that’s the word.

    Or bacon. Because bacon.

  183. CHOOSE. Happy or sad? Pizza or salad? Life is full of this or that and I’m in control!

  185. The first word that popped into my mind was “itchy.” Can I get a do-over?

    I think my word is “peace” because “Sour Patch Kids” is three words, even though it’s a more accurate representation of where my heart is at in 2016.

  188. Mine is Progress because I have so many goals that I have been letting life get in the way of, and I am determined that this will be the year I will make progress.

  189. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, because I agree with TechyDad @108, and it’s supposed to mean “extraordinarily good; wonderful”. So there’s that.

  193. Meds. Wait, no…. Inconceivable. Hm… I do not think that means what I think it means…. How about decisive? Yes. Decisive. Maybe.

  200. Word
    (Mom taught me to follow directions but still think I got it wrong.) 😉

  204. MOCKINGJAY. wait, I don’t think I’m doing it right either. Maybe to simplify your simple, I’ll go with “simp.” That can’t be right either…I have to think about this for awhile.

  211. Live … Actually, Fearless Joy of Living but live for short.
    It has been almost 4 years since mental illness bullshit took my son.
    I am determined to make this year count.

  215. Douchebag. That might be two words, but I connected them for this purpose. I started warming up to it in 15, but it just keeps working for me. As a name for people, not the actual device, FYI.

  219. Help! As in “I need some” and also in that helping others needs to be a priority. Which would help me… (It’s circular, y’all!)

  220. Survive. It is going to be a year of changes and I just want to come out the other side with everything that really matters still intact. I should probably be more ambitious than that but this is the word that popped into my head.

  222. indefatigable Mostly because it’s a cool word, and basically just means won’t get tired which I hope is how I end up before the year is done

  223. My word is focus. I want to focus on healing, myself, my family, and on the things that I’ve lost that I want to regain. Quite simply, I want to focus on what is important for me and leave everything else as secondary.

  227. plethora. it really has nothing to do with my goal for 2016 but I like to say it. Plethora… Plethora.. Plethora. Or Amok! Awesome word. Amok. amok, amok. cool, huh?

  229. Love #38 & 41. Because, Mary Poppins! MY word = overcome. As in my paralyzing anxiety, my debilitating chronic fatigue/fibro. Combo platter…I want to get out & Enjoy the world in 2016. Hoping for the Best!!

  230. Sufficient is the first thing that popped into my head – I want financial sufficiency after years of struggling, I want sufficient energy to get through my day without needing to nap, I want a job that pays a sufficient amount. I want my older teen/adult kids to be self-sufficient. I want sufficient health, sufficient creativity, sufficient patience. And now the word sufficient looks very strange.

  233. The first thing I thought of was “barbecue” but I might not have been doing it right. I like “focus” because it can apply to any situation. This year I need to focus on personal growth, increasing happiness, decreasing negativity, progressing in my career and education, and finding new and awesome friends. I could also focus on becoming an international spy but maybe I can focus on writing a novel about one instead. Or I could focus on barbecue. See? Applies to everything.

  234. I was not in a good mood this morning. Having some rocky times that feel worse because of the cultural pressure about starting the year off and the feeling that having a shitty day on new years meant having a shitty year. So my first thought was FuckThatShit. As just a general kiss off to all the shoulds that keep me down.

    Then i was noodling on Twitter and I’ve decided #WhitesAgainstTrump is my word, for not putting up with BS, for responding to shittiness in the world with a balance of humor, community and solidarity. Beats feeling overwhelmed and isolated.

  238. Mercy, it’s a very encompassing word. It includes charity and grace, hope and kindnesses, and forgiveness.

  239. Impavid (im•PAV•id) Adjective: Fearless; Without fear; bold or brave; intrepid

    And I just finished Furiously Happy as my first book of 2016 (it was soo hard to wait) and it was awesome. I found myself laughing and crying hysterically at 5 in the morning over squirrels, which was fine as I live by myself and it was vacation, but my cat was super confused, which I think all fits into the many, many themes of your book. Thank you!

  241. Is your 2016 calendar your artwork, Jenny? Someone in the know let me know by commenting on my blog or something please? I almost writer 216 calendar. Twice. So basically I was asking for a giant carved boulder/antiquity which would mean Jenny went far too Dr. Who and created her own 216 calendar in the year 216….that’s be awesome, to think of it.

  242. Honesty

    Honesty with not only others, but mostly with myself. It’s about time I put on my big girl panties and just be real.

  247. Balance.

    Balance between my mentally ill daughter, and her sisters.
    Balance between taking care of her health and remembering to take care of my own.
    Balance to my hormone levels that can have me sliding into depression at any moment.
    Balance between work and play.
    Balance in eating and in exercise.
    Balance in my different roles of mom, wife, teacher, and self.

    Balance.

  248. Empathy…..cause I’m reading Brene’ Brown’s “I Thought It Was Just Me” and apparently I need to practice this more. Although I love the words Bliss and Farfegnugen.

  251. COMMIT. Commit to living, commit to changing, commit to saving, commit to being a better version of myself, commit to courage, commit to quitting some things Committing to starting new things. Commit to writing. Commit to walking. Commit to living instead of #U&$*#4 working ALL THE FREAKING TIME. Commit to joy. Commit to love. Commit to me. Thanks for this, Jenny. I feel better.

  254. My word should be “overcome”…. but what I really want it to be is “shenanigans”.

  259. “Do” which is short for Do or Do Not, there is no try. Or “Go Away”. Depending on the situation.
    Happy New Year!

  260. Therapy…probably a good idea for me. I think I’m ready. Am I willing? We’ll see…

  266. Repair, as in my health, my finances, and lot’s of things I own instead of pitching stuff and buying new ones. When I am tired of all those things “I shall repair to my boudoir for rest.”

  273. Mine is “Fuck It”, which I know is technically TWO words but neither of the words alone QUITE captures what they mean together so…. if I’m doin’ it wrong, well… “fuck it” (see, I’m rockin it already!)

  275. I have had a rough couple of months. A myriad of health problems – diagnoses of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Sjogrens Syndrome, and to add insult to injury, a severe inflammatory reaction to gluten. So, I have been wallowing in a pool of self pity.

    Today, I met a lady who has terminal cancer. She told us that very matter of factly. No pity, no sorrow, just acceptance. She was buying fabric to make quilts for her three sons.

    So my word for 2016 is Acceptance. If I can have one tenth of the grace that lady has, I will be a better person

  277. I have been barely keeping my financial head above water. My depression has made functioning extremely difficult. So my word is: Productive

  278. Balance…

    Last year my word was Enough. This helped me reduce my possessions, focus on the positives in my life and recognise that I was doing the best I can.

    This year my word is Balance. Although ‘Enough’ helped, I’m still struggling to balance life with a chronic illness with any kind of work or social life so this year is going to be all about finding that balance.

  280. Grape. Oh, I love it. My word is ‘fruition’ because god damn it, I think it’s about bloody time I got some kind of harvest for all the seeds I’ve been sowing in my life. Wow, that’s a lot of weird metaphors.

  281. “Yoda,” because if I die this year, I want it to happen in a swamp after I’ve trained a really powerful group of supernatural beings for 900 years, with my star student, who is now a master, watching as my remains transform into flitting sparkly star-dust.

  285. My word is ‘mindful’ because I’d like to be more mindful in 2016.
    I’m also choosing a new mantra for the new year. It used to be “Be calm” on the inhale and “Be kind.” on the exhale. But being kind is actually not the challenge it used to be when I chose the mantra years ago.
    I think I will switch to “Here” on the inhale, “Now” on the exhale to promote mindfulness. Or “Slowly”/”Surely” to remind me that speed doesn’t matter as much as long as I’m simply moving forward in a positive direction.

  289. Love this exercise! First, I thought of words like patience, strength, forgiveness, etc. (and blessings to all of you who have chosen these or something similar), but the only way I have found to achieve these is through overcoming resistance, hardship, or adversity, and I don’t wish to ask for any of that in my life in 2016 … even if they can be good teachers. Ease and comfort, while seemingly desirable, can also be weakening and mundane. I thought about “wow” (as in Anne Lamott’s recent book about prayer, not as in the shock and awe of war), or Eureka! (like when something wonderful is discovered). I’m leaning toward magic now, but not only the kind made by others. Sometimes, we make the magic happen for ourselves.
    Love you Jenny!

  290. I choose, ‘simplify’ and not because it seemed to be the handiest thing to say at the time. You see, I too need to simplify. I almost choose focus. I really did but then I thought that if I simplify, the way I’d like to then things would come into focus much more easily. So focus would be a subcategory under simplify. Simple. That is it will be simple if you understood what I was trying to say. But then I might never know because I remember, (and that’s an improvement in and of itself), that you can’t possibly read every post. I don’t blame you. In fact if you are simplifying. Oh, but you’re not. You still certainly don’t have time to read everypost. But I just wanted to say hello. I’m your neighbor, another W P blogger. You make me laugh at loud. And I need that. So Thank You, Jenny Lawson, verrry much.

  291. Discovering your books (which I read in two days straight while I didn’t shower and glared at anyone who came near me, sorry – TMI) and blog recently has motivated and inspired me beyond belief. My word of the year is “identity.” Because I need to be damned proud of who I am and whatever it is I have to offer the world. This year, I finally feel like I can unabashedly be myself. And not only just be, but know that I’m not alone in most of the things that make up my identity that I thought were something to hide or struggle with silently. Awkwardness and mental illness and bad days and all.
    Thank you 🙂

  294. I’m returning to college as an undergraduate in two weeks at the tender age of 41 because I didn’t have the necessary maturity to succeed 20 years ago. Maybe my word should be ‘imperfection’ to remind me that I’m human, and I don’t have to make myself crazy getting all A’s because a B is perfectly acceptable. Not a C though. 🙂

  295. Enough – as in “I am enough”. Am trying to practice daily as so into the new year.

  298. Right now, the first word that I can think of is “shit” but somehow I don’t think that’s how this works. Yet of all words spoken, I think shit will escape my lips most of all.

  299. I’ve used the word Focus as my one word for the last few years. I am quite easily distracted, and it helps to have a direction I’m aiming to move in (both literally and figuratively). I have a small banner flag thingy hanging on the wall that says Keep It Real, which I made a while back – it reminds me to keep things in perspective, focus on what matters, and not get caught up in imagined spiralling.

  300. Love … in the very best and very worst ways. Last year I married the man I love most. But I also lost someone I cherished in a tragic accident. Love was beautiful and devastating last year. It lifted me up and it broke me. It was all-consuming.

  301. SNUGNESS: warmly comfortable or cozy;
    (syn) contentment, enjoyment, happiness, relief, satisfaction, warmth, well-being, cheer, coziness, peacefulness, sufficiency
    A year of peace and contentment!

  303. Potential.

    As in, trying to reach it. Not in big dramatic ways, but I want to set small goals for myself that I know are within my ability to reach and then yanno….actually reach them instead of losing interest or finding some other excuse not to follow through :p

  304. Love….

    for myself, my husband (10 year anniversary), my kids (at least one new daughter on the way this year, maybe two… adopting!!), others around me, my job.

  305. OOOOOO!!!! can we please also have a word to lose?! Just as important I think!!! I’m totally losing “busy”!! I’m so excited by this!!!

  306. Remission. As is cancer free. Or – Re-mission as in a New Purpose – instead of my mom fighting cancer – we are finding her new NEW purpose or mission.

    REMISSION – it’s what we want in our whole family.

  308. Improve. My health, my weight, my activity level, my productivity, my attitude.

  316. after careful consideration my word of the year will be ……. move…because…… move

  319. Does “fuck-it-all” count as one word? Not in a bitter way, but in a “I don’t care what people think, this is who I am” kind of way. So yeah, hopefully this is the year I stop caring so much what people expect or think of me, and actually be myself.

  320. Ta-Daa! Because this year I am going to get some impressive shit done.

  321. My word is always “JOY.” I have faced challenges with depression and PTSD since 1994. My book “Count It All Joy” is my journey of finding Joy in spite of adversity. My blog is Theangelsinmypocket.com . I will be reading your books ASAP. Great blog, thank you.

  324. Pretend. I can pretend I’m happy when I’m blue. Pretend I’m done when I’m not thru,
    Pretend i give a shit when I couldn’t care less, pretend to cry if the dog makes a mess. (So I don’t have to clean it up) pretend I’m rich while I’m still poor, pretend I’m excited while actually I’m bored…I could continue BUT u get the idea

  325. Balance
    This is especially what I need this year starting an accelerated nursing program, as well as being a mom to a 6 year old!

  326. Relax.
    The past year has been a real turd; my daughter died of cancer, new neighbours moved into our complex, creating parking hassles, my family tried to pressure me to be someone I can’t be, & I had to resume estrangement, unfortunately with the assistance of police.

    With all that my PTSD has kicked up a gear, my anxiety is up a notch or two, & I’m finding I just don’t have the diplomatic skills to manage personal conflict.

    So for me, the only viable answer is to try to relax more, let things go, don’t get so worked up about things I can’t fix, & try to make people accountable for their actions without turning it into a personal dispute.

    Easy to write about, harder to put into practice.

  327. Relax.
    The past year has been terrible & I’ve really struggled.
    My daughter passed away from cancer, we had to arrange sale of my mother in law’s house & make arrangements for her long term care in an aged care facility, due to dementia, & had a neighbour of hers steal some of her property as we were making final arrangements to sell the house.

    I also had my family again interfere with my life, trying to force me to be who I can’t be & do what I can’t do, so had to have police assistance to ensure they know my estrangement is the only way I can live.

    We also had new neighbours move into our complex, creating further hassles & parking problems, which play on my mind too much, since all too often others block access to our car, because they consider their convenience more important than others being able to get access to their vehicles.

    All this has really flared up my PTSD, anxiety & other issues, & makes me increasingly distrusting of others.

    So relax will be my word.
    An easy word to say, a harder concept to apply when consistently under stress.

  330. I got to go to the beach (85 degrees, warm water, soft sand) last week, and while I was sitting there, I thought I would make my 2016 resolution to go to the beach more. But it will have to mostly be the mental beach, since i live in Kansas. So my word is beach.

  332. Light.
    In all of it’s possibilities. Lighthearted (remembering to look for the light when it seems to be gone), light weight (take as weightloss, drinking or boxing – they all work), light footed (to navigate those tricky parts of life, or listen to folk music), light headed (may include a haircut or perhaps giggling till I pass out), lightening (for when I need to strike like a force of nature), delight (in the good things and indulge when I feel like it), highlight (the important things) nightlight (especially when going downstairs at night) etc.. all of the light. Light.

  334. The first word that popped into my head was “breathe”. Sometimes I need to focus on that more and not so much on the anxiety and stress.

    Thank you, Jenny.

  336. A Female Name My Mother Picked So I'd Sound Like Less Of Fat Housewife Type Hillbilly Than The Name My Father Picked says:

    Bathtub

  337. Writing so late in reply, I am inspired by others. Larisa T’s “wine/whine” is intriguing, though I covered that well in 2015. Karyn Doherty’s “fisticuffs” and “TARDIS” are inspirational and so much more fun than my brain conjures in a moment. Bourbonbaker’s “fuck” was exactly what came to my mind. And Jules’ “pretend” is lovely. I may steal the last, if I must choose just one. Hugs and kisses, all!

  338. My word was going to be hippogrif gecause I wanted to manifest one and how can you do that without first knowing what you want? But that turned out to be impractical so I chose embody.

  341. Burn.

    But not when I pee (for the obvious health reasons), and not the house – my homeowner’s insurance people wouldn’t be pleased if I burned the house down even unintentionally.

  343. My daughter picked DumbledoreApple. I’m picking Rose. As in the flower. That I’m picking.

  344. Determination. Determination to turn my back on the darkness that was 2015 and turn my face to the light that 2016 can bring. And all the stuff I want to accomplish,too, I guess.

  346. Faith.
    It’s said fear is the opposite of faith, so I’m gunning for faith this year. Figure why not (at least try to) insert “faith” when I would normally feel “fear”. Feeling freaked out and fearful over a situation does not improve the situation, does not make it LESS fearful. It actually compounds it all – now in addition to whatever the suck-ass situation is, I am freaked the fuck out over it. It’s not like I get a check in the mail for 50 bucks every time I’m afraid, so why do I invest so much effort in this emotion?
    What if instead, I had faith. Faith that the scary situation would be fine, would work out, would eventually pass. I actually can’t even imagine the amount of free time I would have in life if I cut fear out of the mix.
    Worth a shot!

  347. KHAAAAAAAAAN!

    Sums up a release of pent up frustration, anger, disappointment and, of course, vengeance.

    And you get to make the Shat face so that’s a win.

  351. Fearless.
    I decided to go with “fearless.” This word alarmed my shrink, so I re-thought it and considered whether “brave” might be better. Nope. I am sticking with “fearless.” The point is that I want to do more than just be brave in the face of my mail; I want to have no fear of my mail in the first place. Really, I just hope my one word doesn’t accidentally turn into “asshole.”

  354. Mercy.

    I’m having a baby this year…I have to learn to be merciful with myself, this selfish baby that is literally going to rely on me for everything, and my family who is loving but may drive me crazy.

  359. Victor was right the first time. RETRIBUTION. 2015 sucked hardcore. I’m gonna pound you into the ground, you piece of shit. VICTORY SHALL BE MINE. (It even has ‘Victor’ in the name. So I’m pretty sure he and I are a team here.)

  360. “Cheatandsteal”
    because I can’t choose one word and I’m taking those of
    @Karyn Doherty (#24) TARDIS
    @donna joy (#157) word < brilliant too — what else is there?>

  361. my word for 2016 is no. I will not be made to feel guilty for doing what is best for myself this year or so I say I will. We’ll see.

  364. My word was “huh?” but somebody edited it out, which is ironic. Somehow, my opinion is always irrelevant? Maybe THAT’S my word! Irrelevant!

  368. I wanted to say tanning but since it’s taken, I’ll go with abundance. In looking around and appreciating, one can see more and more how much is available to us: how much beauty, how much grace. Best for 2016!

  373. For the moment, my word is kitties.
    After a suitable mourning period for our beloved 13-year-old Allie, who we lost to kidney failure a few months ago, we just adopted a couple of kitties from our local shelter. We got a giant of a 5-year-old neutered male. We’re calling him Ronnie McDonnie cuz he’s supersized. And we got the sweetest little 8-mo-old female, freshly spayed, that we’re calling Sophie. We’re slowly introducing them to each other. Sophie’s quite willing, but Ronnie’s not having any of it.
    But for the remainder of the year, after the kitties have integrated themselves into the household, I think I’d have to go with balance. Not just because I could use a little more balance in my life (couldn’t we all?) but because as I continue to get older, I find I’m less and less steady on my feet. Having fallen on my face, complete with a smashed nose the first time and sutured eyebrow the second, I’ve vowed to try much harder to stay on my feet. My constant mantra as I walk is “head up, feet down”. So far, so good. But I can use all the help I can get. So, balance.

  376. Intention. I’d like to stop doing things just to get them done, and instead give myself time to lie fallow a bit.

  377. Nourish. For my family, for myself, for our lives, bodies, emotions, souls, planet. I need to focus on doing things that are nourishing for us, and cut out things that are NOT nourishing. I’ve been reading a lot of Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Gift from the Sea, Against Wind and Tide) here lately and she has much to say about nourishing oneself and letting go of things that are not.

  379. Dance, if you can believe my latest blog post. I <3 that your blog now has “Like” buttons! Where do I get some? (sorry for the double-comment, but I wanted to link my post)… maybe I should change my word?

    Do-Over!

  381. My word for the year is “avoid confirmation bias”. Yeah, it’s weird and nerdy, but it is something I am prone to and would like to change.

  383. I love your word choice, and what you decided to do with it. My one word for 2016 is de-lurk, which is why I’m commenting instead of just reading and enjoying your post and saying nothing.
    I’m not sure if I’m supposed to use a hyphenated word, but I’m doing it.

  384. My first thought was courage – followed by brave – but yes, FEARLESS is the winner!

  385. Reprieve. This past year and a half has been tough. I lost a baby at 16 weeks, followed by the death of my mother-in-law, my best friend’s mom, and my aunt that was more like a mom to me. Then, just to top it off, we had to put our dog down due to kidney failure, right after Christmas. This year, I want everyone I know to stay alive and healthy.

  386. NOURISH is my word for 2016. It applies to so many ways to be good to myself. Nourish my body with healthy foods, nourish my soul with spa days, walking in nature with my dogs… Nourish my creative side with knitting, sewing, cooking MAKING anything… Nourish my relationships with thoughtful actions, listening, and gratitude… Nourish others by being generous. NOURISH.

  389. Focus.
    (Very important for the newly diagnosed ADD mom of an ADD daughter. Time to break & remake those habits I made before I knew what I was compensating for!)

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Beautiful Writers book: Writers! This coming-of-career memoir (w/ the BEST advice from celeb authors, real shit you haven’t heard) is life. A page-turning beach read doubling as how-to. #Magic

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Where Do I Belong? A memoir of Sarah Carrington: The unbelievable story of growing up in a religious cult in the mountains of Northern British Columbia. What happens to you in life doesn’t make you strong; rising above it does.

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