What is my word for 2019, you ask? 

Every year i try to have a word or phrase to focus on and give me some direction and purpose for the year ahead. Last year’s word was Bridge-Building, with a sub-description of ‘Stepping Towards’ – finding ways to pull people together, to unite, to help people engage, to listen more, to create spaces where this can happen and to be a catalyst any way i can.

The year before that – 2017 – my word was ‘Interdependence’ which is the idea that we need each other to move forward well. As i look ahead to 2019, it is good to note that both of these previous concepts are an active part of who i am, so it’s not like i’m done with ‘Interdependence’ and ‘Bridge-building’, but rather the question becomes, ‘What can i add to that?’

Which brings me to 2019 where my word is:

STEWARDSHIP

Merriam Webster defines it this way:

1: the office, duties, and obligations of a steward

2: the conducting, supervising, or managing of something 

especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care

Number 1 is not super helpful, but number 2 gets us a lot closer to what i am thinking, although the ‘especially’ postscript at the end nails it for me:

the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care

In the shell of a nut, i want to do a lot better with what i have. Particularly when it comes to time, but also money, skills and energy.

My wife, tbV [the beautiful Val], and i have already put some practical things into place with regard to screen time [no phone when passenger in car for greater connection, thirty minutes before bed screen-free time] and i plan on deleting some games and removing some apps from my phone to hopefully help me to use my time better.

  • i want to read more in 2019
  • i want to vastly improve my knowledge and aptitude of the isiXhosa language
  • i want to write more purposefully
  • i want to continue to volunteer for organisations such as BottomUp and The LifeMatters Foundation and keep an eye out for other spaces, places and times to offer myself to.
  • i want to facilitate more race conversations both officially and unofficially, through the Heartlines work i am doing and the workshop work i am doing with Megan Furniss

And more. To be more intentional and less procrastinationary.

Bring it on 2019.

What’s your word/phrase for this year?