Word of the Year 2022
My word of the year, inspired by a Q1 planning session today, led by my wonderful coach Kim Carr, is
NOURISH.
What’s yours?
The tree pictured above here is a Banyan tree. Also known as a Strangler Fig. And on a recent holiday to Mexico, my husband and I were on a tour in a cenote, when the guide explained how truly very special these trees are to the world’s biodiversity.
They quite literally help NOURISH everything.
In short, in Central America, these trees grow above cenotes, which are underground caves containing fresh water. Some of these cenotes are closed, some are partial and some are open - meaning people can swim in them and enjoy natural paradise. The Yucatan Peninsula (where we stayed) is a centuries old ex-coral reef, now limestone and these trees’ roots bore down through the rock, using the freshwater below for life. There is much more to the ecosystem than this brief explanation - including birds, insects, bats and more all playing their parts and feeding into the cycle, but, because the largest underwater river in the world exists (in the world) underneath this part of Mexico, these trees essentially feed the coral reef that lies off just off shore. In turn, coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth.
When I found this out my mind was blown.
Anyway, why am I telling you this?
Well, in working up my word of the year, encouraged by Kim, I kept coming back to the word NOURISH. I’m going to hold it close, let it guide me, refer back to it, let it come to me and let it inform my work & wellbeing for 2022. I won’t hold it to account or let it rule what I do, but having something there to motivate and remind me I think is a useful tool.
If you fancy doing one for yourself, try this one by Susannah Conway (it’s the one I did and it’s free). Finally, I attended a quarterly planning session to kickstart my 2022. I highly recommend doing this - I honestly feel supercharged, clear, focused and ready for what the next 3 months will bring. It also helped me to manage the overwhelm of a complete year - that often feels massive - especially when freelance and things are moving parts, contracts change, funding comes & goes, people move on etc.
If anything inspires you today, let it be the humble banyan tree. In the meantime, I shall remember NOURISH as I head out on my run.
Image: taken by me in the Cenote Agua Dulce in Mexico, December 2021.