There was a time when my yearly goals were focused on self-improvement and productivity. It’s really interesting to look at my list of words from past years and see how I’ve evolved and my focus has shifted.
This year once again I’m trying to take an even more relaxed approach. This is not going to be the most productive year of my life. This year’s going to be an adjustment. Popular wisdom says that adding a second kid to your life is harder than adding the first. Time will tell if that turns out to be true for us but I don’t anticipate perfection.

This year’s word is embrace.
I want to embrace, among other things:
- Where I am in my career
- The limits to how much work I can do in a week
- My post-pregnancy, post-C-section body
- The level of cleanliness my house may or may not reach
- The unique stages my kids are at
- How fortunate I am, even if it’s not what I might have imagined for myself
- Basic menu plans
I also want to spend more time physically and emotionally embracing the people that mean the most to me. I’ve been thinking about and participating in discussions over the past few months about how easy it is to keep other people at arm’s length and not really be involved in their lives. I’m not sure what the solution to that looks like, but I’m definitely thinking about it.