The Year of Play

Back again, back again. Setting goals, choosing a word, and a reason for a fresh start really never gets old to me. This is my 13th year with a word and I’m just as excited as when I first chose “joy” back in 2013. When I started this One Little Word journey I would have never expected play to be anywhere in my future line up – even just thinking it makes me itchy. I’m not a very playful person, preferring routines and productivity instead. A lot of my words reflect that but when I pick a word, I try to tie it to expectations I have for the year, a decision I’m trying to make, or an area where I clearly need to get out of my comfort zone. This word is definitely the latter. The words often tug at me or reappear in my life over and over until I can’t avoid it. When that happened this year, I tried to manipulate the idea of play into “fun” or “enjoy” instead, but I kept coming back to the definition:

Play (v): to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK (of my mind): for enjoyment and recreation, rather than a serious or practical purpose. I need that. I crave that. I very rarely do something just for the heck of it. I’ve considered it in the past, but “play” resurfaced last year as I navigated 2024 with my word “whole”. The irony of choosing a word like whole is that it really helps you identify the holes…ba dum tss. These words feel like they are companion words of sorts, the two together allowing me to have the bigger picture of what I’m looking for. It really boils down to the structure of my life and taking things a little less seriously. I’m really excited to see how this word unfolds and how it challenges me throughout this year.

As part of my prep work (alongside my Powersheets Goal Planner), I like to outline my intentions and create a vision board that aligns with my word and goals. All of these feel so cohesive to me and I love them so much. This is overkill, but here ya go.

My Vision Board:

ChatGPT helped me create the one below and I thought it was really playful and whimsical.

My Intentions:

⭐️ Play is an invitation to embrace adventure and curiosity. I want to say “yes” to spontaneity and unexpected invitations. I want to explore new places, try new activities, and enjoy simple wonders.

⭐️ Play is an invitation to nurture joy through creativity; to dedicate time to projects *just because*. I want to experiment with art, crafts, and hobbies – letting fun guide me instead of perfection.

⭐️ Play is an invitation to look for laughter and lightness in ordinary routines.

⭐️ Play is an invitation to prioritize rest and ease. I want holistic wellness to be a non-negotiable and I want to do more things to fill my cup.

⭐️ Play is an invitation to stay present and grateful.

My Mantra:

“I embrace play, spontaneity, and joy—filling my days with adventure, creativity, and care for my whole self. Fun is who I am becoming, and wonder is the path I choose.”

My More Poem (Inspired by Elise)

Every year when I sit down to write this exact post, I’m tempted to say how incredibly quick the last year has gone and that I can’t believe we’re here again and I’m picking yet another word. Don’t get me wrong, I love a fresh new year with my whole new set of goals (I’m sure that’s crystal clear by now) but dang, I didn’t expect to be back here so soon and with so few updates in between. This spot on the internet is one of my favorites, but one that seems to fall by the wayside a bit when things get hectic. I absolutely love data, trends, and seeing how my life has looked in different seasons and this truly is the best place I can do that. Having these posts archived online allows me to see the person I was on January 1st for the last 9 years (!!) and is there really anything more spectacular than that? I just took a trip down memory lane, so leaving these links here in case you’d like to as well.

Cheers to a year of play and so many good things.