Abundance. Flow. Energy. The words came easily as I wrote them down. Truth, power, transform, evolve, visible, clarity, intuition, and more. Some seemed close, like visible, emerge and become, but they weren’t quite right. I paused in my search for my word for 2022, setting the task aside for another time. The new year was still over a week away, and surely the correct word would find me as had happened the past two years.

As the days slipped one to the next, I revisited the list I had made and researched more words for inspiration, but not one said ‘pick me!’, not one seemed to jump up and embrace me, whispering ‘follow me.’ So with 2022 a mere two days away, I had determined that I would need to make a choice and settle for one of the words that had seemed promising. Settling, I’ve come to realize, was a habit that I tend to default to when unsure which direction to go.

Making this decision, I embarked on my morning walk with my dog down a dirt path away from the houses in our neighborhood and began to enjoy the surrounding trees, bushes, and the few wildflowers that are visible this time of year. I watched and listened as birds flitted from branch to branch and called to each other. I opened my heart to the sounds and energy of nature around me, extending my thanks to her for her generosity and admiring her beauty. It was then I heard the merest of whispers among the trees. Trust. I paused and listened more intently, and it came again more definitively. Trust. Was this the word I had been awaiting? Yes, my heart replied. Just trust.

So in 2022, I will trust who I am and be myself because to be someone I’m not is not helpful for anyone. I will trust the decisions I make and know if they are wrong, it is because the lesson is greater. I will trust that I am not broken, not weird and not defective, just different, and the differences make this journey beautiful. I will trust the path before me; though it may not be the path for others, it is my path. I will trust that life happens for me and not to me. I will trust more often than not, others’ intent is not malicious or personal but instead motivated by their own insecurities. Ultimately, I will trust myself and let this be my beacon for the year ahead.

And dear friend, what word will guide you through 2022? I wish you much clarity as you choose your word for 2022 and blessings for the new year!