One word for 2010…

Sometimes a little structure, a commitment is just what I need. It’s December, and a lot has happened so far in 2010, so when I read on Patti Digh’s blog that she was participating in #reverb10 I thought I’d dive in. Reverb10 is a 31-day challenge to reflect on the past year and explore hopes for 2011. With daily prompts. So here goes.

Today’s challenge: One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

How can one word capture such a year? A year that saw four friends die suddenly, unexpectedly. Poof! Literally, gone in a moment. Such sadness, such loss. And my partner’s annus horribillis – his loss of taste and smell, a serious bike accident, anaphylactic shock from an ant bite and if that wasn’t enough, a brush with cancer. The death of our beloved dog, Comet. Phew! Sounds like it was an awful year. Is that the word then?  Loss. Yet punctuating all this loss was great joy, exhilaration, excitement. My heart soars when I think of the places I’ve been, the people I’ve been with, the laughter and the tears shared, the conversations, the silences, the companionship. So, no, loss is not the word for 2010. That’s only part of the story.

I’ve travelled to amazing places – Myanmar and Sri Lanka and Cambodia, Heron Island and London, Helsinki and Kuala Lumpar. I’ve taken risks I never imagined, I’ve made new, and I hope lasting, friendships.I’ve done some good work, and I’ve done some great work.

My word for 2010 is surprise. A surprise can be good and it can be bad. It can come from outside of ourselves, and it can come from within. I have experienced all these surprises this year. While a surprise lasts only momentarily, the emotions that follow can be long-lasting and significant.

And a word for next year? Twelve months from now I hope to look back on 2011 and say it was a year of sharing. Of sharing ideas, of sharing work, of sharing knowledge, of sharing travel, of sharing the highs and lows, and of sharing hopes and dreams. After all, it is our shared experiences that shape who we are.