Happy New Year! I hope people who have had time off enjoyed the rest and rejuvenation. I've tried to combine my Christmas obligations with relaxation, while still devoting time to preparing for school and work - not an easy task!
Every year, since 2016, I've come up with a new #OneWord to use as my focus, instead of selecting a New Year's Resolution. The past words were:
- 2016 = continue
- 2017 = forgive
- 2018 = seek
- 2019 = enough
- 2020 = push
- 2021 = well
- 2022 = watch
- 2023 = lift
- 2024 = savor
- 2025 = refresh
My refresh goal went well. I wanted to continue doing some of the things I often do, but with renewed purpose and altered approaches. My ESL lessons improved, thanks to co-teaching with Connie Chan. My library space got a huge refresh with new furniture and a couple of indoor "trees". I didn't moisturize as much as I should have, but there's still time to take care of my skin.
My 2026 word was inspired by my upcoming obligations, as well as an argument I had with members of our school's First Lego League team! I'm not sure if the students were serious or just pulling my leg, but the students kept using the word "presentate". I guess they thought that if, in a celebration, you celebrate, then it goes to reason that in a presentation, you "presentate". No, no, no! It's present - PRESENT! Therefore my word of the year for 2026 is
PRESENT
Present is a wonderfully playful word to use. First of all, I can use it to mean to give a presentation. Between January and June, I will present eight times at five different conferences. I am going to spend a lot of time in 2026 presenting.
Present is also a synonym for gift. In 2026, I want to get presents and give presents! These presents don't have to be things bought in stores. They can be the gift of my time, talent, or treasure. I have a feeling that some people are having a rough go of things, and hopefully I can be the present they need.
Present also means being here, right now. It's neither the past nor the future. It's also the opposite of absent. I will try to be more present with others. I'll try to mindlessly scroll less on my phone when I'm at home and be engaged in conversations, even when the topics of discussion are hard to follow. I will try to keep my mind from wandering to plan for a pithy reply so I'm focused on what people are saying to me at that moment. I'm going to try and revise how I spend time with my parents, because with their dementia, the immediate present is all that they have. I suspect that my own children might have seismic shifts approaching and I want to be present for them and enjoy the present, before things change and I don't have access to them in the same way as before.
So, wish me luck on my Word-of-the-Year.
P.S. Back in 2023, I deadlifted a personal record (PR) of 220 pounds. On Monday, December 29, 2025, I broke my record and lifted 225 pounds. It's not a huge improvement, but even slight gains should be celebrated (but not "presentated"). LOL
