Word Of The Year For 2023

 

Redemption

I hadn't even given much thought to what my word of the year would be for 2023 until Friday, when I was browsing Facebook and saw that Emmanuel Acho had chosen the word "redemption" as his word of 2023.  Acho defined "redemption" as the act of regaining or gaining possession of something. That didn't immediately grab my attention as a word I might consider. It was only after I read the reason he chose that word that it clicked with me as being a word I might choose. Acho said 2022 was the hardest year of his life; and that, in 2023, he will be fighting to redeem his joy, his peace, and his full emotional health. 

That's when the bell went off for me. I lost myself in 2022. I read less, I didn't refinish or paint one piece of furniture, I didn't spend evenings on the patio I'd worked so hard to make lovely. I spent far too much time mindlessly scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. We hardly traveled. There were a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is an almost eleven month battle with back pain. 

In 2023, I am choosing to redeem my joy, my peace, and my emotional health.