The Post About My One Word for 2014

Hi. I've missed you. I'm back. There you go.

It's become common practice for folks to choose one word to serve as an umbrella for the coming year. There's even a website: One Word 365. They encourage you to choose...

One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.

I did this in 2012 when I chose "peace." It was the right call. My life can often be chaotic and harried and swirling. And that's just inside my own head.

Last year, I chose "leap." And boy did I do some leaping. I took trips with people I met on the Internet. I started podcasts with people I met on the Internet. I fell hard for a fella I met on the Internet. I soft launched a cake pop business and quickly shut it down. I joined a new church. I quit my job.

Some of these jumps landed soft on a cloud and some landed solid on the concrete. But I leapt.

This year, I've chosen the only thing that makes sense to me.

Waffle.

Merriam-Webster has two definitions for "waffle:"

: to be unable or unwilling to make a clear decision about what to do

: to talk or write a lot without saying anything important or interesting

But I'm willing to make lots of decisions about things in 2014. I've already decided to keep Spotify over Next Issue while living on a tight budget. I've decided to love Sherlock and Watson equally. I've decided to listen to One Direction without apology.

I also plan to talk and write a lot this year, but hopefully the outcome will be important and/or interesting. And I'll probably reference the previously mentioned One Direction. Seriously, Midnight Memories is a solid album.

When I chose "waffle," I meant this:

2014 will be about waffles. That means choosing to wake up and take time to mix the flour, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, sugar, and salt and sit down to the best recipe of waffles I've found. It means quality over the convenience of Leggo'ing my Eggo.

This isn't only about ingredients in a bowl. It's about stopping to relish experience. It's about being still. That's something this ADD survivor doesn't have listed under "additional skills."

For most of my life, I've been in such a hurry to meet the next person, to start the next project, to Instagram the next moment. It's been exhausting. It's time to be still. Even the Creator of the Universe is on board with "waffle."

Psalm 46:10 says "Be still, and know that I am God..." The NASB version of the Bible exchanges "be still" for "cease striving."



I'm going to try to stop striving in 2014. And eat more waffles.

What are you plotting and scheming for this next year? Next month? Next meal?

{images: Jamie}