Gentle Buddhism
I couldn’t remember my Word of the Year for 2022. ‘This is not a good sign’, I thought to myself. ‘How can my special word have an influence on my year if I can’t even remember what it is?’ When I remembered it, I was happily surprised.
The word I chose for 2022 was ‘enough’. I chose it because I was a little bit sick of excess, and of always wanting more and never being satisfied. I chose it because it made me feel good – someone who has enough is satisfied and at peace. I wanted that.
It turns out that despite my forgetting to work with the concept on a conscious level, 2022 has been a year of finding enough. For the first time in decades I don’t just seem to have enough money, but even a slight surplus. This isn’t because I’m working more, as I have also experienced having enough free time, because I have booked fewer psychotherapy clients into my diary each week. Enough good food. Enough good company. I’ve really enjoyed having enough!
Why does it work?
What is the magic of choosing a word for the year? My best guess is that it’s a combination of three things…
The first is that we probably choose a word that relates to a theme that is ‘live’ for us. If we are starting to feel sick and tired of being so busy all the time, we may choose the word ‘spacious’. If we are beginning to realise how serious we seem to be, we might choose the word ‘lightness’. This signifies that a process of rebalancing is already underway, and our choosing of a word gives it validity and extra power.
The second is that our aspiration works away on us in our subconscious mind. We have told ourselves that a particular thing is important – maybe ‘freedom’ or ‘connectedness’. This marshals our inner resources to a particular purpose, and they will work away without us knowing anything about it.
The third is even more mysterious than the workings of our subconscious. Who knows if our prayers are answered or not, and by who? Choosing a word is a little like making a prayer, and in my own experience, when we ask for help from the Universe, we are given it. Not always in the form we might prefer, but still…
How do you choose a word for 2023?
How do we find our word? Keep looking until we find a word with ‘juice’! I’ve been stuck for a little while as the words I could think of all left me feeling a little cold. Spacious? Nah, boring. Abundant? Wisdom? Fun? All great words for someone else but, as Marie Kondo would say, they just don’t spark joy in me!
This year I’ve been reading a lot of books about death and dying. Last night, in his book ‘Five Invitations’, I read Frank Ostaseski’s words:
“When we embrace impermanence, a certain grace enters our lives. We can treasure experiences; we can feel deeply – all without clinging. We are free to savor life, to touch the texture of each passing moments completely, whether the moment is one of sadness or joy.”
As I read this, a little light bulb went off in my brain. Impermanence! THERE’S a juicy word for me. How would it be to lean into the joys of impermanence next year? To trust both the ups and downs of life? To appreciate the ever-changing wonderfulness of life without putting all my energy into clinging on or pushing away? It would feel great!
Over to you
My challenge to you is to seek your own word for 2023. Keep your ears open over the next few days. Maybe do some writing in your journal or discuss it with a friend. Think about the themes that are important in your life at the moment, and what you might be ready to step into. Choose your word carefully, as it will have power and magic in it… and tell me in the comments what yours will be! Enjoy 🙂
Go gently _/|\_
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