Apparently, there is a trend in which people choose a word of the year, one that is meant to represent how they envision their year unfolding. Everybody’s word is unique; it should serve as a compass to guide you toward a personal goal. And apparently, this is nothing new; people have been choosing words of the year for quite some time now.
Weird that I’d never heard of this before, given that I’m a writer. Words are my bread and butter. You’d think I’d be all over this scheme. But nope! Much as with “The Sopranos,” which Tara and I just started watching (tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1999…literally), I’m late to the game.
In fact, when my supervisor Slacked the team a few weeks ago and asked us if we had a word of the year, I replied like a real smart-ass. “I’ve got two,” I told her. “Widows and orphans.“
What can I say? I’ve always been a master of the callback.
Once I realized this was a real thing, however, I decided to jump on the bandwagon myself. Better late than never! I mean, Tony Soprano is still a compelling character 20 years after his debut, right?
Without further ado then, my word of the year is…drumroll, please…
Leisure.
It’s not that I plan on being a lazy slug in 2020, but I am going to focus on slowing down. I plan on taking more time to stop and smell the roses. To just “be.” If that sounds all hippy-dippy, sorry-not-sorry. The past couple of years have been rollercoaster rides. To wit:
- In 2018 I quit my job, packed up all my worldly possessions, and moved halfway across the country.
- In 2019 I started a job, quit a job, started another job, bought a house, and moved again, all while working on 25-ish freelance blogs a week, every week, for the entire year.
I’m exhausted.
My goal for 2020 is to embrace leisure in all its wonderful, carefree forms. I’m already off to a flying start; instead of dashing out a freelance blog every weekday morning before breakfast, I sip coffee and skim through the newspaper. I even changed my alarm to allow me a few extra minutes of sleep every day. There is no painting of walls or unpacking of boxes, but rather, books on Kindle and Tony Soprano. I even hooked up the old PlayStation 2 in the basement and fired up Ratchet & Clank. I haven’t played video games in years.
I mean, it won’t be all fun and games, but there will be a hell of a lot more fun and games than there were last year. Or the year before. We’re heading to Custer for an overnighter this weekend to burn a wooden beetle in effigy and then do a pub crawl, for instance. We also booked a room in Lead for a March weekend, will be traveling to eastern South Dakota in July for a chislic festival, and have a couple of camping trips planned. Best of all, in September, we’re having a family reunion right here in Rapid. I’ve taken the planning reins on that one, but it’s okay: I’ve got time now. This “leisure” thing and I are going to get along just fine.
What’s your personal word of the year?
Mark My Words 
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