Resolve

A few years ago, my friend Bradley perfected the one-word New Year's Resolution. He chose the word "move", not knowing where it would lead. Where it led him, a guy who never pictured himself as a homeowner, was into a Habitat for Humanity house where he still lives.

I adopted his approach, and haven't looked back.

The beauty of the one-word resolution is that we point ourselves in a general direction and then get out of the way because that single word creates a lot of space for the Universe to step in and do what needs doing. This is a little unnerving, really. Resolving to lose weight, to read more, or to remember to feed the fish are things we have the power to follow through on. Or not, as the case may often be, but either way we control them rather than the other way around.

2011 marks my third one-word resolution. The first, three New Years ago, was change. I didn't know how the year would end, but I was determined that it wouldn't be as it began. And it didn't--it started in Michigan, but ended in New York.

Last year, I opted for courage because mine often fails me at moments when I need it the most. What I discovered is that courage has many facets. It is about knowing when to speak up, when to push, when to watch failure without stepping in to fix it and, most challenging for me, knowing when to stand and fight even as I'd rather walk away.

This year's word had been eluding me. I tried on several, but ultimately discarded each of them for a variety of reasons. I've finally found it, though--movement. I won't explain how I ended up here, only that it feels right because it makes me just a little uneasy. I don't know what that means--movement--for this year. I don't expect it means that I'm leaving my now-beloved Finger Lakes, nor do I imagine it means anything so simple as get more exercise. All I'm sure of...let me try that again...I suspect that first and foremost it means don't get complacent.

Beyond this? Anything could happen.