{"id":996,"date":"2020-02-02T16:02:05","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T00:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.slowbloom.com\/blog\/?p=996"},"modified":"2020-02-02T16:02:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T00:02:05","slug":"delight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slowbloom.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/delight\/","title":{"rendered":"Delight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Instead of resolutions, every year I pick a word for my intention. The last several years I\u2019ve picked words that had to do with effort and trying, and while it\u2019s good to achieve and work towards goals, I am feeling tired, so I thought I\u2019d do a 180 and try something a little different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"violet-breasted<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This year my word is delight<\/strong>. Usually by the end of November I have a sense of what I want my word for the next year to be, but I was utterly stuck. And then just a few days before the end of the year, I was walking home and a little Bewick\u2019s wren fluttered down to the sidewalk in front of me. All the heaviness I\u2019d been carrying just lifted and I felt utterly light – delighted. And then I realized, I could have this word be my intention for 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, delight is about being present in the moment, available to whatever might arrive – like the little wren, who we don\u2019t usually see. There is also the element of surprise, the unexpected – which shocks me out of my gloom. My senses expand, and suddenly everything that was gloomy and dark changes – in the blink of an eye. The trees that seemed so dark are now havens for the chickadees and bushtits and juncos. Okay, I will admit the low cloud cover still challenges me, but it doesn\u2019t infuse its heaviness into everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recently learned that in Swedish, \u201cbushtit\u201d translates as \u201cbutt dork\u201d which was yet another cause for delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I\u2019ve picked the word, January has proven to be a challenge. The world feels horrible, with world leaders making choices that feel like they are driving us all off a cliff. Even in the midst of all of this, it\u2019s the joy and connection to others that makes the fight worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Mary Oliver, “keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I invite you to share these small moments of delight as they arise throughout the year. Perhaps I will post some updates here.<\/p>\n

\"Share<\/a>