Adopting a Word of the Year: Fluency

I love the space between the celebration of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. In the midst of the busyness of this season, I love to find those moments of solace (yes, even with two young kids) during which I can take time to pause and think back on the year that was, and think ahead to what might lie in front of me.

Traditionally, part of the process for me has been the adoption of a word of the year, a little unit of language that I carry with me as a touchstone throughout the entire year. In the past several years, words that I have chosen as companions have included inspiration, creativity, imagination, balance, integrity and passion. Looking back, there have been a couple of years where I have not been able to choose a word and so Zoë has graciously inserted the Webster’s most used word of the year as a type of placeholder. In 2009, she entered the bail-out on my behalf! A little bit of irony, perhaps.

This year, after careful thought about my hopes and dreams for 2012, I have chosen the word, fluency. I like the way the word sounds, the way it looks and the depth of exploration to which it invites me. There is the sense of the word that points to an ease or facility with a language. Although I love to write and am involved with a number of different forms of public speaking, there are other languages in which I am involved, and in which I hope to gain greater fluency.

As an example, I can’t remember when I haven’t been involved with music in some way. But it has been a while since I have seriously tackled the demands and discipline necessary to become truly fluent. Within the musical world, I find myself drawn to many different genres but the one that calls me the most strongly is the language of jazz. My goal for 2012 is to become more fluent in playing and improvising jazz.

But there is another goal that I have and it’s one that I think that my chosen word speaks to very nicely. Fluency is based on the same Latin verb as the word flow. To me, flow has to do with the way components of my life, in both the short- and long-terms, connect, complement and “talk” to one another. Flow is as much a way of seeing life as it is a way of living it. It’s not necessarily about liking everything I do, as much as it is about finding the connective tissue in as many things as possible. It’s about entering into the day’s activities fully and with as much attentiveness as possible. It’s about getting rid of the things  that “dam” up my life.

So, I don’t have all of this figured out yet, and that’s not the point. Choosing a word of the year offers me the opportunity to adopt a lens for reflection, self-improvement and better living. It’s about allowing a traveling companion to walk with me, guide me and give me a bit of a frame for the year.

You may have a similar New Years practice in your own life. Perhaps it’s a word, a piece of writing, a song, a picture? I would love to hear how you are setting sail into 2012!