I first read about the one-word challenge on a blog last year. And I’ve already seen it a couple of times this year. There’s even a new blog dedicated to it. The idea is that instead of making resolutions for the new year, you’re supposed to select one word on which you’ll focus for the entire year. Since I rarely even make it to put my resolutions on paper, much less keep them, I’m giving the one-word challenge a whirl.

My one word for 2012 is…HEALTHY.

I’m already on the path to physical health…running and eating healthier foods. But I need much more than that. I need mental, financial, and spiritual health. Most of all, I need emotional health.

I’ll go ahead and admit that 2011 was a crappy year. Of course, there were great moments, and I wouldn’t trade those for anything. But, overall, it’s a year I am more than happy to leave to in the past. Looking back through the year’s blog posts reminds me of the heartache 2011 held. I think it was so heartbreaking for me because I wasn’t emotionally healthy enough to deal with all the events that unfolded.

I’ve been seeing a counselor over the past few months, and I’ve been learning what being healthy looks like. Part of it is realizing that the past cannot be changed, and I no longer have to function from it. It also means realizing that the future may not hold what I hope for. Being healthy begins with being present in the present and realizing that God has plans for me {which may not include the plans I have for myself}.

This year, as I continue to put one foot in front of the other, pounding the pavement….
as I continue to find healthier food choices…
as I continue to work through the past, leaving it behind…
as I continue to learn to trust God {not people} for my present and future…
I will focus on the one word I want to live out, the one word that I hope is part of the legacy I leave to my children:

HEALTHY.