Dear Winter,
Thank you for the snowstorm, cold temperatures, and threat of rain and ice. You closed schools and kept me inside for a while. You gave me time to read and write and think. You gave me time to ponder, consider, reflect on, and finally choose, my OLW for 2022. As I read all of the emails and newsletters I had saved for a snowy day, I came across this gem by Ruth Ayres. She said that when she sends her children off in the morning, she recites this line with them: “Good things are going to happen to me and through me.” This is my new mantra. I need some hope (last year’s word). I need to believe that good things are going to happen to me. I also need to take action (last year’s word also (Yes, I picked two!)) and make sure that I am making good things happen in the world. So I’ve decided to pick a new word for 2022 that embodies both. Here it is….my OLW for 2022 is:
Belonging.
I am going to continue to work this year to search for spaces where I truly belong and to create spaces of belonging for others, especially for those people who are feeling isolated or oppressed.
Thank you for helping me arrive at my OLW,
Erika
Writing to Learn, Learning to Write 
That’s a wonderful word full of purpose and direction. So glad you were able to take the unexpected days last week and use them for you. Here’s to belonging!
The extra time was so nice. I hope you enjoyed it too! And thanks for making me feel like I belong!
I love how you wrote this in the form of a letter. And love your word choice. ❤️
I love the format here & your selection for your OLW. Thank you for sharing!
I like how you added your word to a wise saying. And a reminder of how with time, we can reflect and choose a word. Thank you, Mother Nature for providing the snow!
I love the work that Brené Brown has done around Belonging. I am currently reading her latest book Atlas of the Heart. The belief that something good is going to come from you is more than half the battle to achieving it. What a wonderful mantra for the new year. Mine is “Let the magic find you” from Fran Haley. I love reading everyone’s ideas around one little word.
I like how you arrived to your word. It’s a beautiful word. Heartfelt word