word reflections

Every spring we each choose a word and then reflect upon it the next year.
Soon I will post our 2010 words but here are thoughts about our 2009 words

Jim – active ~ I am recently pleased with my more "active" life. There were a few months where active was not part of it.

Mary – moments ~ I am well on my way to enjoying (and recording) my everyday moments. My blog has been a great way for me to focus on my moments.

Amanda - experience

Benjamin - evolving

Mike - build ~ Grade B, I wanted to rebuild our finances, relationship with kids, and relationship with Marty.

Marty – health ~ On the way to being attained – I am more in control and that is a good thing.

Doug – survival ~ I’m still here so I guess . . . attained.

Leslie – anticipation ~ There were many good things to anticipate this past year...and more to anticipate in 2010! I think my anticipation was for a possible retirement decision. Difficult as it has been to truly decide, now that the decision is made, I am happy about it. More time with Dougie, more time with friends and family, time to get organized, and hopefully more time to plan some new adventures! I look at all of my retired friends, and not one has an ounce of regret on their young, smiling faces!

Debbie - timely ~ For me that's the key, "for me", I think I'm doing a bit better. I've actually been at appointed places within five minutes of the designated times.

Dave - focus ~ He thinks he didn't do well. He's thinking of a new word for this year.. . but he .just needs to" focus".

Val – opportunity ~ I believe I was successful at being open to opportunities that helped me grow as a wife, mother (and mother-in-law! )friend, and teacher. For me, half the battle is recognizing an opportunity when it seems to be a celebration, event or challenge . . . That is the part I will always be working on!

Ed - please ~ Please, did not work too well. I am taking suggestions for my new word. Help Please.

Maryellen – thankful ~ It was the theme for our somewhat-annual Mortonian Valentine Letter

Ali - wedding ~ attained :)

living and exploring

photo: Real Simple Magazine

“Friendship, love, health, energy, enthusiasm, and joy
are the things that make life worth living and exploring.”
― Denise Austin

that single pour

Lori Leibovich: A Glass of Wine
Here’s what used to make me feel beautiful: my skin, bronzed after a languid afternoon lounging on a beach towel. My eyes, sharp and ready after eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. My hair, tangled and damp after dancing madly to a favorite band. These were simple, sensual everyday moments in an unencumbered life. Now there is a family and a house and a job, all of which need tending to, and beauty is harder to come by. My scheduled-to-the-minute existence means I’m often frenzied, pitched, worn-out. Like so many other mothers I know, to stamp out those feelings (at least temporarily), I often reach for a glass of wine. The first few sips have the same effect on me as a long, deep inhale. A few more and my shoulders migrate from their daytime hangout near my ears back to their proper place. Still more and I start humming.

I’m not talking about getting drunk. In fact, I rarely have more than one glass―that’s enough. Most of the time, that single pour is enjoyed at home, where it gives my evenings shape. Just as my children have their nighttime rituals―Go, Diego, Go! followed by a book and a piggyback ride to bed―I have mine. I wrestle with the cork and listen for the pop and the clink of the bottle against the glass. I take a second to admire the luscious color and breathe in the scent. With that internal to-do ticker no longer running roughshod through my mind, suddenly there’s room for free associations, for thoughts of food and books and distant friends.

Wine doesn’t simply soothe me; it opens the door to intimacy. At a party, a few sips of Chardonnay are enough to make me peel off some of my protective layers and reveal something about myself to a stranger. It helps me connect with my husband after a long, challenging day, too. Sometimes, once the kids have succumbed to sleep, we put on music, sit at the kitchen table, and relish a meal. At first we check in, sometimes about the business of schedules and finances; other times we don’t say much at all but simply revel in the food and our still house. As we pour some wine, the conversation may take a deeper turn. Sometimes we talk about the freedoms we once enjoyed in abundance and wonder why we didn’t take more risks when we had the chance. Other times we look to the future: how liberating it will be when the children don’t need us so fiercely, and, of course, how devastating.

In these moments, when I’m raw and questioning, nostalgic and a little melancholy, and he’s sitting there, listening, I feel beauty coursing through me again. I realize that freedom still makes me feel beautiful. But now I have a different understanding of the word. It’s a moment or two of space, my goblet of wine, and being understood by someone I love.

Lori Leibovich is the editor of Maybe Baby and has written for the New York Times, Elle, and Salon.com.

What Makes Me Feel Beautiful

choosing your word

For this year, choose a word that will help you realize your Spring resolution.

We have decided to choose our word each year during our Spring break and reflect upon it the next year. What will your word be?

JH - active
MH - moments
AHT - experience
BJH - evolving
MC - build
MC - health
DB - survival
LB - anticipation
DP - pruning? timely?
DP - focus
AS - wedding
VG - opportunity
EG - please
AS -
AS -
JG -
MG -
DM -