savor.

​Nothing like 46 hours without power, internet, and heat (yes, we forgot to reconnect our gas logs after the great reconstruction of 2015) to truly force my hand to #savor every minute. 
Yep, my friends, savor is my word for 2022. 
And even if we had not lost power (and a bit of my sanity), savor had already been set in place. 
 
Last year was my year of joy. In a world that still feels dark and twisty, last year I intentionally focused on what brought me joy and how I could bring joy to others. I have a lot to say on that subject, but I’ll save it for a later date. 
 
While the power is still out and my sons are still napping on the basement floor in front of our only gas burning heater, (God bless this single little stove that has kept us safe), I’m going to officially pen my goals for my #yeartosavor. 

​I mean, I wouldn’t be me without goals. And I’m hoping, my friends, that you’ll either join me, or simply hold me accountable. And if I’m lucky, you’ll do both! 
 
And as a refresher, these words of the year are not one-offs. I don’t just proclaim that word for one year and then forget it the following. These words are little life changes that become etched on my heart and in my DNA so that I’m hopefully making permanent transformations for the better.
 
I’m still a girl who craves adventure (2015). 
A woman who’s heart needs restoration (2016). 
A lover of whimsy (2017). 
Experiencing a lot of firsts (2018). 
Still struggle with staying in the present (2019). 
Deeply desire to be intentional (2020). 
And want to live a life that radiates joy (2021). 
 
And this year, I want to savor all that is around me. I will only be here, in this season of life, once. My sons will only be this age once. I will only have this day, this year, this moment to in front of this gas heater to write these goals, once. So why am I expending so much time anxiously awaiting and planning the future? 

I want savoring to be so much a part of who I become that people know I will always look them deeply in the eyes when they are talking. I will always look up to respond to my sons when they call my name. I will always observe and enjoy first, take pictures and document later. 
 
So here are just a few of my goals:
 
To drastically lessen my screen time, without the use of app limitations, because the life that is right in front of me will always be so much more completing that the lives I’m following online. 
 
To close my laptop and pick up a book. Friends, I’ve stopped reading! Like Instagram, Pinterest, and blogs don’t count for me. There are books four years old in my possession that I have yet to crack their jackets. This is unacceptable! I miss reading. I miss words and the smell of print. And authors who are dear friends. I’m bringing reading back! 
 
I want to date. Clearly, I’m only talking about the same man. Jason and I are about to hit 15 years of marriage; a milestone! This past fall we celebrate 20 years together (and by celebrated, I mean I wrote a cute yellow post-it on his lunch sandwich). The average American marriage is now only 8 years. As shocking as this statistic is, if I want to continue to be the exception and not the rule then I need to make sure dating my husband is a priority. We went on a “date” the week before Christmas which means we ate hibachi as a late lunch and hit up Best Buy and Publix before going to pick up the boys by dinner. Not exactly romance but maybe it counts for quality time. But this year, we will do better! 
 
Lastly, I want to spend more time in play. I heard recently on a podcast that that “best parents” are the ones who are “enchanted by what their children find enchanting.” That’s it! That was the summation of all their parenting advice. So that means, for my little three-and-a-half-year-olds nose whistling on the floor next to me, I need to be “enchanted” by all levels of construction vehicles, know all the words to Fortunate Son, Bad Moon Rising, and Midnight Rider (daddy’s songs as they call them), and be completely focused on them and their needs when they are home. My sons are watching. And I don’t want them to ever question if an email, a phone call, my work, or doing the never-ending piles of laundry are more important than them. 
 
I heard on another podcast (I listen to a TON of podcasts while I’m on the road. If you ever need a recommendation, I got you!) recently about the last man to spot a Supernova with his naked eye. Yeah, I didn’t even know that a thing. This man was so accustomed to looking up at the night sky that he literally knew it as if it were the street he lived on. So, when the Supernova appeared, he noticed the change in the sky and was able to alert astrologers. Can you imagine this? Knowing the sky so well, that out of all the stars, you can literally spot that one-out-of-a-billion change. I can’t stop thinking about that man. That man didn’t just know those stars. He didn’t just like those stars. He savored his time with them. Daily. 
 
So, it makes me wonder, what in my life am I missing because I don’t take the time to simply look. To observe. To learn. To savor. 
 
That’s it friends. I want to put my phone down. Pick up more books. And spend more eyes-into-eyes time with the ones I love. I don’t just want to be in the present. I want to truly savor the present. I want to discover the Supernovas right in front of my own life. 
 
Who’s with me? 
 
I’m starting now. My sons still have about 45 minutes to nap. So instead of working (no internet) or doing laundry (no power), I’m shutting my laptop, and I’m opening a book with a battery lamp nearby. 
I have so many books, authors, and subjects I need to reconnect with. So let’s start now! 
 
Cheers to a year to savor.