Synthesis Sunday: Word of the Year

I take a cue from some of the bullet journal bloggers and select a word for each new year. I have two of them - one that I select in December for my personal calendar year and one in August for the school year. This year's calendar year word is Explore. This school year word is Transform. I do this because it gives a focus, a centering point, and an idea of how to move forward - a way to identify what is important to me at the moment.

I am exploring ideas, society, places, and my own experiences this year. In December and January 2022, I selected the following categories - ideas, health, places, connection, and identity to steer my thoughts about this word of the year and to help me with what I wanted to do to enrich my life in 2022. From these areas, I have developed some quests towards things that I want to do and learn about and experience. Some of these tasks are just that - tasks. I can get them finished in one step - for example, renewing my passport. Others are more complex. Learning more about society and how others perceive the world that I live in is not easily accomplished through one thing. I decided to make this particular quest, that of identity, a focus for this year in an attempt to understand why people are so angry with our professional association from a larger view than that of just music therapists.

As I sit down to select a word for each year, I start off the process by writing down everything that I can think of that I want to do during the next 12 months. I am going through that process with my school year word right now. What does transformation mean? What does it mean in my facility? What does it mean when I am developing ideas for my clients? What does it mean when I am interacting with interns? What does it mean? Usually, this process happens before I select a word, but the word for this school year has been pretty evident for a long time now. Anyway, I write down all sorts of words until I find either a theme or words that resonate with what I want for myself. I have had different words every year, which I like. 

For the next quarter of this year, I will be establishing quests for each one of my areas of interest. I am continuing to explore identity, both my own and that of others, through reading and asking questions and listening to what others have to say. For connection, I want to work on meeting my neighbors. For health, I have to get over COVID and start with a pain management routine that is sustainable. I will go on four virtual tours for the places part of all of this. I am taking a rest on ideas. These are all things I can do in the next two and a half months. 

It is time to start thinking about my school word of the year - transform. I selected this word because things are changing in my workplace. Some of these changes are easily understood, others are very nebulous. I do not do well with nebulous. I like clear pictures and expectations. At this point, the nebulous plans are the ones that affect me the most, and no one seems interested in what I need to know about. I am thinking about things that happen in steps forty-eight and seventy-two, and the administration is only thinking about steps one through five. Sigh. Since things are actually going to change, then I might as well embrace it with a positive attitude.

When I go back to work tomorrow, there will be new co-workers. There will be some confusion about what will be happening where and when. There will be lots of opportunity to look at how we do things and to make those things better. This is a time to break out of the ruts because things are going to change either with me or without me. I want it to be with me.

So, explore and transform. 

Happy Sunday. 

(Kelly, if you are reading this, I hope that laundry goes well for you. Enjoy your day of solitude, and give Davi a bunch of snuggles for me!! Love you!!)