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Savoring life in the Berkshires

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2016’s Word: Connect

Published on January 1, 2016 By Emily. Updated on January 23, 2016

Happy 2016! I’m really excited about my 2016 word and kicking off another year.  But first, a look back at my 2015 word, strengthen.

2015

In my at the beginning of  2015, I wrote: “This is the year to stop wasting time worrying and being scared and strengthen my resolve.”  I think, for the most part, that did happen.  I finished my school year well, completed my masters degree confidently and have started the current school year off with a very different attitude than the previous one.   I chose to not let my anxieties keep me from doing things I wanted to. We bought a second car and I became more confident both in my driving skills and in going places alone.  I worked on learning to take a compliment and respecting my achievements.  I strengthened my writing skills by participating in National Novel Writing Month.  I stood up for myself by taking advantage of opportunities I wanted and saying no to things that weren’t in my best long term interest, despite having the tendency to want to make everyone happy and fulfill any opportunity put in front of me.  I made Relishments a stronger site by paying someone to create new graphics and further clarifying my vision.  One area where I didn’t succeed as much as I’d hoped was physical fitness, but I did run four 5k races, so I can’t complain too much.  I ended 2014 feeling weak and scared, but ended 2015 with strength and self-confidence.

connect 2016 graphic

As a result, this year I’m going for something else.  I’m going to focus on connect as my word for 2016.  In past years, I’d wrestled with what word I wanted to guide my upcoming year, but connect came to me out of the blue and I immediately knew it was perfect.

Connections seem a little more vague to me than some of my intentions in the past.  This year’s goal is a less about me and more about other people.  Previously, I’ve focused on getting things done and improving myself, but now I’m more interested in going outside of myself.  My existence is not isolated from other people or things.  I want to genuinely connect with others, not just double tap on people’s Instagram photos and call it a relationship.  I want to be involved in the lives of others and have them be involved in mine.  It’s impossible to say where a focus on connecting will take me, but I’m really excited about the concept.

A brainstorm:

in 2016, I want to connect…

  • more often with my husband – we live and work together, but it’s easy to get distracted by technology and other obligations and not take the time to really work on our relationship.
  • with friends, near and far – it seemed like every time I turned around at the end of 2015, someone was talking about the importance of community and being involved in each other’s lives.  For a long time, I believed that such things weren’t for an introvert like me, but the more I participate in small gatherings, the more I realize how encouraging and invigorating they are.  I want to connect with friends through letters, texts and email and dinner parties, game nights and coffee dates.
  • once again with members of healthy living blogger community – I became an HLB Staffer at the end of 2014, but I feel less connected to that community than I did during the years before that. Being part of the blogging community is one of the best parts of writing Relishments, but I need to be a more active member.
  • even more with the Berkshire food community – I made a few good connections with those active in both the advocacy and production of food culture in the Berkshires during 2015 and I’m looking to continue that.  I believe that these connections will be good for me personally, as well as Relishments as a site.
  • back to the process of cooking – Relishments was born out of my love for cooking, but I feel like I really haven’t been connecting with it lately.  My menus are based on whatever comes to mind first and takes the least time to make.  In 2016, I want to reconnect with my love of making food from scratch.
  • with my family – 2015 saw the birth of my sister’s baby and while I’ve gotten to visit with my new nephew several times, I don’t want to miss out on his baby years.  We spent Christmas with Brian’s family and I was reminded how unfortunate it is to only see most of them once a year.  I want to connect more with extended family in 2016.
  • to my faith – last year was one of my best in terms of dedicated, consistent time reading and studying the Bible, thanks to She Reads Truth, Women Living Well, and multiple church bible studies.  A connection to God’s will for my life will be nothing but good for my 2016.
  • to nature – I live in a beautiful place, but sometimes it seems so hard to get outside.  In 2016, I want to do more hiking, walks around the neighborhood and less viewing of it all through a lens or screen.
  • to the way my body works – turns out, I’m not getting any younger and sometimes my body makes me acutely aware of this fact.  I’m excited about connecting to how my body works and what it needs, both in terms of fitness and nutrition.
  • with myself – it’s amazing how much more creative, focused and thoughtful I can be when I stop trying to do a hundred things at once.  I’m one of the many people who have taken up coloring as a hobby and I come up with so many ideas when I sit down with a book and colored pencils.  In 2016, I want to take more opportunities to check in with myself, brainstorm and be quiet.  This may even be the year I start journaling again.  We’ll see.

Past words:

Strengthen (2015)

Invest (2014)

Intentional (2013)

On a related note, I loved this post: How to Do (Almost) Anything in 2016, from Yes and Yes

Related Posts

Reading List: Rest and Community
A Look Back on My 2016 Word: Connect
Goals In Progress: December and 2011 Overall
Connecting and More in Spring 2016
Did you enjoy this post? Share it!

Filed Under: life Tagged With: connect2016, goals, strengthen

« Happy 7th Birthday, Relishments! {Giveaway}
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Comments

  1. mindy @ just a one girl revolution. says

    January 2, 2016 at 12:28 pm

    This is wonderful! Connect is a great word for the year.

Trackbacks

  1. Regaining Routine (CSA Menu Plan #47) | Relishments says:
    January 3, 2016 at 2:55 pm

    […] to start something new.  At the moment, 2016 holds so much potential.  I am super excited about my theme word for the year and I’m just about at the place where I’m looking forward to going back to school […]

  2. 5 Online Tools for Connecting in Real Life | Relishments says:
    January 27, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    […] you may recall, my focus word for 2016 is “connect”.  Though we’re only a month in, I continue to be thrilled with my choice.  I’m sure it is […]

  3. Connecting and More in Spring 2016 | Relishments says:
    June 18, 2016 at 10:51 am

    […] more, I didn’t realize what the year was going to bring. While I’m still working on my initial goal of connecting more with others and the things that really matter, my focus has shifted […]

  4. A Look Back on My 2016 Word: Connect | Relishments says:
    December 31, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    […] months ago, I designated connect as my focus word for 2016.  Every year when I sit down to write my end of year reflections, it always seems like January was […]

  5. Savoring 2017 | Relishments says:
    January 2, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    […] Connect (2016) […]

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photo of EmilyWelcome to Relishments! Follow along with my adventures in cooking and eating in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

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Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
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