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2024 Word of the Year: La Dolce Vita

 


Last year's word was balance, which fit the year 2023 very well.   First, our family had an intensive schedule between working, school/training, sports, and church.   It was difficult to accept not being able to complete everything on my to-do list.     However, it forced me to give myself grace.      

 

This year I am claiming my phrase of the year is “The Sweet Life” (la dolce vita).




La Dolce Vita, The Sweet Life, is a phrase I grew up with because of my extended Italian family.   Living the sweet life does not mean having excessive money or things but it is living your best life.  This means focusing on family, friends, faith, and enjoying the simple things of life.    Last year felt like we were juggling all of our obligations to make it through the week, but we didn’t focus on living.    

While thinking about what I wanted from this year, I decided that having a joyous life was very important.   To me, this means that I will work on maintaining a work/life balance, not permitting myself to become upset over things that I can not change, enjoying my family and friends, supporting and enjoying my church more, and picking up my hobbies again this year.    

Our home is our sanctuary.   It will be our pleasure to care for and update our home this year.   This will look like picking up daily, ensuring our dishes are done nightly (yes, we are like everyone else→ dishes were left until the next day),  using simple seasonal decorations, and establishing de-stressing rituals.   

This year, I was blessed this year to secure a garden plot at my church which yielded a lot of food, but we were not good stewards of this blessing.     This year, I plan on changing that.   First, we will plan out our garden plot and build tomato cages.  Second, we will either eat, preserve, or share our bounty.   Finally, we will use our ability to grow fresh vegetables, to eat very well this upcoming summer. 

We plan on enjoying our community a lot more this year.   This may look like socializing more or our family taking day trips to various places such as museums, wineries, or festivals.    In addition, we will take advantage of the community summer events such as concerts, movies, or art shows.     I love sculptures and will be exploring my community to see what art I can find. 

To live a Sweet Life this year, I will continue to work on meditation, focusing on gratitude, and practicing saying “no” to things that will create stress in my life.  In addition, I will be embracing life and only participating in the activities that give me joy and maintain my mental health. 


What is your word for 2024?


Last Year's Word:


 
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