I’m not sure when I started doing this or who got me started. I probably have it somewhere in my old blog (which unfortunately is gone). I did find a few notes on Evernote from previous years so I can tell you that in 2015, my one word actually was two words: “Focus” and “equilibrium.” The equilibrium part of it was because I had just discovered that year that I have tinnitus. In 2016, the word was “Reinvigorate.”

Without further ado, this year’s word is:

This morning, as many mornings, I was talking to my wife at a mile a minute and she said as she often does: “Breathe!” As it is New Year’s Day, I realized that this would be my One Word, because it seemed and seems so apropos. In late October, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and have been on a CPAP ever since. I won’t rehash everything that I said in all the previous posts on the subject, but I will repeat this line as to why I don’t let the face mask bother me: “Because the way I look at it is that…um…breathing is better than NOT BREATHING AT ALL!”

So this coming year, as I turn 50 and focus on my 10 goals for the year, I am going to allow myself to:

• breathe as I walk and talk.
• breathe as I sleep.
• breathe as I relax to start the day and end the day and remain chill in the times in between, from Matins to Compline.

After all, from what I hear, breathing is good.

Do you have a One Word for 2019? If so, what is it? Share in the comments or with a link to your blog post on the word.