Word of the Year 2018: Move

If I had chosen a word for the year in 2018, it would have been the word “move”.

As in, after 11 years, I finally made a MOVE again– BIG TIME, half way across the country, packing up a four bedroom house and a family and a life — and this time back to a place where I feel right with myself.

I’d felt stuck in Connecticut for so long that I had started to feel actually at home: to have friends I truly loved, to feel the heartbeat of the seasons, to be invested in my life there.

But that wasn’t ever going to be enough.

Moving was always in the cards for me.

I felt like a transient when we arrived in Connecticut. That was probably in part because I am always in the mindset of the next move.

On Staying and Going

I still remember so starkly when I read the Little House books as a girl and hearing Laura quote her Pa: “My wandering foot gets to itching.” I also remember thinking how hard it must have been on that family to always be moving, to have to dig out that house from the sod, and to make a new life where they landed, because of the whims of their father’s itchy foot. I felt really fortunate that my mom and dad always lived in the same town, and the one time they moved us, we only moved two blocks!

Should we have stayed? Meh. Who knows? My philosophy is “the kids are alright.” Laura Ingalls Wilder turned out pretty ok… my kids probably will too.

The Word(s) for 2019

So now that I am here, and we are settling in, what’s the word for 2019?

It’s two words: DIG IN. I want to dig into what’s available to me here… the reasons why I felt called back here. To dig into my life as a worker. I want to dig in again to this new community. And dig into my friendships and family opportunities that I was craving from afar.

And of course, to continue to write, from this new place that feels, for now, like home.

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This post is part of a 2018 December series called “Bridge to the New Year.” You can read more posts like these (not written by me but lots of other brilliant writers!) by following #BridgetotheNewYear). Be kind, and comment when you feel inspired!