Word of the Year- 2025

[jampss]

Just thought I would revisit my WOTY meaning ... a refresh ...

Thrive:
"To thrive means to grow, develop, or be successful; it often implies flourishing or prospering in a particular environment or situation. This can apply to people, plants, or businesses that are doing well and achieving their potential."

OR

"intransitive verb

1. To grow vigorously; flourish.
2. To be successful or make steady progress; prosper."

I think "making steady progress" reflects my year so far ... in my health goals and in my goal of becoming less DS's case manager for life as he slow and steadily takes on more responsibility. It's coming up on two years since brain surgery. We are blessed that he is doing well. His OCD is still and always will be a daily fight, but he is pushing through and moving forward.

 

[Miss JoDee]

I think "making steady progress" reflects my year so far ...

I agree with you, Julianne. Just from what you have posted this year I can tell you are thriving. Keep it going!

 

[Holiday_Mom]

In 2025, I want to "Rediscover" the forgotten side of me. What is really important to me and just me? No outside influence... something that I would do alone if no one else was interested...

What is joy? What is beauty? What is being fully present and alive? How do I rediscover myself, joy, beauty, being fully present and alive? That's what I want to tap into this year.

This summer was just what I needed to rediscover the forgotten side of me. I've been focusing on me and what I need and it's been working wonders for my joy. I've been practicing being in the moment and not thinking too much about the past or the future.

For me, being in the moment means not always knowing what is happening in the world but what is happening right here, right now. It is not always thinking about what I could have done better in the past to make my future better but what can I do right now. I've stopped doing things for others so I can do those things for myself.

 

[AnnieClaus]

Mary-
Very beautiful discovery you have had this summer!
Your words are very poignant.

Annie

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Mary, your words really touched home for me. What a great Summer of discovery you had.

 

[Lori K]

While I've been lounging and doing the "woe is me" for the past 10 days, I've given a lot of thought to 2025 and what I want my life to be like in the coming year. A lot has changed in the last decade, most importantly my social circle. I need to do some "cleaning" on FB and weed out connections that are no longer relevant to my current life. But weed carries such a negative connotation for me, as does cull, delete, eliminate ... I want positivity. I thought about sunrise or dawn, but what I want goes beyond that. So, I've selected garden. I want to tend my personal garden, sowing seeds of positivity, weeding out negativity, tending new plants (friendships), and looking for new flowers to bloom. Does that make sense?

I had a "come to Jesus" moment earlier today. I responded to the "What's for Dinner" thread and caught the Word of the Year line in my signature -- garden. There are some areas in my life where I still need to tend to my personal garden, my social circle, and weed out some of those connections. I think it hit me especially hard today, on my late DH's birthday.

When we were boating and on the dock every weekend, we had a very tight community. We hung out every weekend, celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, births of grandchildren, and holidays. We traveled by boat together in the summer months and even occasionally vacationed together in the off-season. Yet, following DH's death, our paths seemed to stray, except for weddings -- and I'm certain that part of it is that my DD was the first to marry, and so it may have been the obligatory invitation when their kids married -- even if it was just me attending. Over Thanksgiving, I learned that one of our group (a single male, one of my DH's best dock friends) suffered a major heart attack over the summer, had bypass surgery, and has been undergoing physical therapy to aid in his recovery. We had a long-time mutual friend and I was surprised that she didn't reach out and let me know ... but she may have assumed that he'd let me know. Her failure to reach out has been duly noted. I decided to let others in our group know, just as an FYI, in case they hadn't heard either -- two moved to different docks, and two have gotten out of boating, altogether. Three of the four I alerted responded with little more than an acknowledgement, almost as if they didn't even care. It was telling and reminded me that I really need to cull that list of FB friends.

 

[missjane]

I never think of my words for the year, so I must do better. It's going to have to be somewhere I can see it occasionally.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I had a "come to Jesus" moment earlier today. I responded to the "What's for Dinner" thread and caught the Word of the Year line in my signature -- garden. There are some areas in my life where I still need to tend to my personal garden, my social circle, and weed out some of those connections. I think it hit me especially hard today, on my late DH's birthday.

When we were boating and on the dock every weekend, we had a very tight community. We hung out every weekend, celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, births of grandchildren, and holidays. We traveled by boat together in the summer months and even occasionally vacationed together in the off-season. Yet, following DH's death, our paths seemed to stray, except for weddings -- and I'm certain that part of it is that my DD was the first to marry, and so it may have been the obligatory invitation when their kids married -- even if it was just me attending. Over Thanksgiving, I learned that one of our group (a single male, one of my DH's best dock friends) suffered a major heart attack over the summer, had bypass surgery, and has been undergoing physical therapy to aid in his recovery. We had a long-time mutual friend and I was surprised that she didn't reach out and let me know ... but she may have assumed that he'd let me know. Her failure to reach out has been duly noted. I decided to let others in our group know, just as an FYI, in case they hadn't heard either -- two moved to different docks, and two have gotten out of boating, altogether. Three of the four I alerted responded with little more than an acknowledgement, almost as if they didn't even care. It was telling and reminded me that I really need to cull that list of FB friends.

Sometimes pulling weeds is the most difficult part of our lives.

 

[jampss]

I had a "come to Jesus" moment earlier today. -------- It was telling and reminded me that I really need to cull that list of FB friends.

I get it. And it sounds like you are doing self care for yourself. Sometimes ... friends are in our lives for a season.

 

[halimer]

Sometimes ... friends are in our lives for a season.

Yes, surprising sometimes. My college boyfriend was there for me when Josh had his surgery and my BF of 50+ years, Carol, seems to be just lost in her own world and has had nothing left for me for several years.

Yet, my BFF Fran, who I've known since we were 9, who lives in England, has been and always will be, part of my life.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Lori, I'm sending you a big (((hug.)))

 

[Lori K]

Thank you all for your comments. I wanted to share this incident, not to elicit sympathy, but as a reminder of a) the importance of self-care (which has been abundantly forced on me recently), and b) the importance of revisiting our Word and working toward making that change happen. In 2026, I'm adding "revisiting my Word" to my Celebrate Me! day -- go back and review it and do something every month, even if it's little, to make that change happen. And, while I didn't "unfriend" anyone, I did unfollow several boating FB friends as a first step, and I sent a message to the person I'd expected to alert me to significant news about our mutual friend, asking her to notify me in the future. Love and hugs from this work in progress!

 

[jampss]

Oh, I like the idea of a reminder of WOTY on our Celebrate Me days!!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

My word will be COFFEE!!! I found this info on the internet. Did not find the source.
Perfect WOTY for me.

Coffee symbolizes a wide range of concepts, including connection and community, intellect and creativity, and ritual and comfort. It can represent the start of the day, a moment of pause, a shared experience between people, or even a metaphor for personal journey and growth.

Connection and community
Social connection: Coffee is often shared in cafes, bringing people together for conversation and community.
Relationships: It can be a symbol for relationships, both harmonious and conflicting, as seen in literature and film.
Cultural exchange: Historically, coffee has been a conduit for fellowship and has fostered cultural exchange.
Intellect and creativity
Enlightenment and discourse: During the Enlightenment, coffeehouses were places for the free exchange of new ideas, symbolizing intellect and creativity.
Creativity and entrepreneurship: Coffee continues to be associated with creative and entrepreneurial spirit today.
Ritual and comfort
Simple pleasure: A cup of hot coffee can represent a simple pleasure, offering warmth and a moment of normalcy.
Ritual: The process of preparing coffee, from brewing to sipping, can be a daily ritual of peace, reflection, and discipline.
Fuel and start: It is often seen as the fuel that jumpstarts a day's adventure or a starting point for new beginnings.
Other meanings
Personal journey: A cup of coffee can symbolize contentment and a deliberate choice to focus on one's own path.
Transformation: In an alchemical sense, the process of coffee transformation from bean to cup, using earth, air, fire, and water, can symbolize a cycle of physical transformation.
Sustainability and ethics: For some, coffee represents awareness of the environmental and social impact of production, and the importance of ethical trade

 

[jampss]

Perfect!!! @Ahorsesoul

 

[Lana]

Diedra, great explanation of it

 

[Holiday_Mom]

My word will be COFFEE!!! I found this info on the internet. Did not find the source.
Perfect WOTY for me.

LOL! That is so you, my Caribou friend!

 

[AnnieClaus]

I think I have done pretty well on my WOTY. "Home."
It has been on my mind a lot this year.
I spent more time at "home" the last year than I have in years and years.
That doesn't mean I got all the projects and things done that I had intended but I did do some-
the coat closet, linen closet, and Christmas items.
Progress! Progress!

My mind has drifted to what I want for next year's word.

Lori- What a reminder you had! It's crazy how people just "don't react" to BIG news!

Ahorsesoul- Such a perfect word for you!

Annie

 

[halimer]

Didn't get to chill much this year.

Too much worry about Josh and his surgeries to be able to chill. Friends going bonkers.

Maybe next year.