Good morning, friends! It’s hard to believe it’s 2024, isn’t it? I hope you had a spectacular holiday season, and that today kicks off a brand-new year filled with more joy, connection, peace, and growth than you thought possible.
New Year’s resolutions are always a mixed bag for me—I’ve done them and I’ve eschewed them. I’ve found them incredibly motivating and also a sure source of regret. And yet, I love the blank slate of a fresh start and all the possibility a new year contains. So this year I’m choosing a word, a sort of theme that I hope inspires me throughout all of 2024. To me, the best part about a single word is the depth and nuance it contains, the way it can mean so many things and continue to develop and change as the weeks and months peel off the calendar.
So, my word for 2024?
BLOOM
bloom1
/blo͞om/
a flower, especially one cultivated for its beauty.
"an exotic bloom"
a full bright sound, especially in a musical recording.
"the remastering has lost some of the bloom of the strings"
to produce flowers; be in flower.
"a rose tree bloomed on a ruined wall"
come into or be in full beauty or health; flourish.
"she bloomed as an actress under his tutelage"
(of fire, color, or light) become radiant and glowing.
"color bloomed in her cheeks"
Oxford English Dictionary
In contemplating Love Never Fails, the essay I wrote for Christmas, I realized that I’m not in that place anymore—that place of being planted in the darkness. “Sometimes we forget that before something can bloom, it must first be broken: the hull of a seed, the earth split in two… But then, what if we bloom?”
So this year is growth. It’s clean pages and fresh starts and full, bright sound. I’m sure (to take the metaphor just a smidge too far) it will also be filled with thorns and pruning and careful fertilization. And that’s okay. I’m looking forward to experiencing all this year holds.
What about you? Do you set New Year’s resolutions? Choose a word? Or simply turn the calendar and move on? I’d love it if you’d share in the comments. And please take a moment to read my quick Substack update below. I am so enjoying this space with you. Thanks for reading. xoxo - Nicole
It’s 2024 and my plan was to push paid subscriptions this year by hiding half of my posts behind a paywall. But then I received this message:
Beautiful article.
I would subscribe to support you if I could.
Thank you for sharing your work for free.
I was so touched I’ve decided to keep all my articles free. I truly do write to connect with people, and this has proven to be a meaningful way to do so. That said, if you can afford a monthly or yearly subscription, would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? This grand experiment is exactly that: an experiment that will one day be abandoned if it proves unsustainable or detracts from my novel writing (which is where I make my money). My grandma always said “many hands make light work” and this is true here, too. A small monthly amount can make a huge difference when it begins to snowball.
And, as always, I hope you’ll check out the other amazing columnists of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. It’s truly a roundup of some of the best and brightest minds in Iowa, and I still can’t believe I’m a part of it. There are new columnists being added regularly, and I promise you’ll find something that inspires, delights, and challenges you. Happy reading.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Columnists
I like having a word for the year. Last year I chose the word "peace", and it was present throughout the year. Those close to me knew it was how I often described what I felt in my heart and soul. This year the word "anticipation" has bubbled up to the surface. Anticipation of what God has planned for me and the opportunities He will give me. (I am also keeping "peace" - can't let go of this word.)
I really like having a word of the year instead of a resolution. I find thinking of my word calms me and helps me focus. Last year the word was 'acceptance.' This year's is 'courage.' Not bravery...they are different. Thanks for your article-I always enjoy your sincerity in your writing.