A Trio of Words

For this second installment about my words of 2023, I will share three that I am grouping together in my mind this year.

Health is the first of this word trio. A New Year’s cliché, obviously. For me, health encompasses moving more and eating healthier…yada, yada, yada. I have some specific goals and plans for being healthier, but they aren’t particularly unique or worth sharing. No weight goals, though. And no size goals. No diet. I’m proud to be staying away from all that. But still, not original.

The second word is fun, which I am pretty darned good at, I must say. I love games and play often. I love music and listen often. I love reading and get lost in books often. I travel, I see plays, I watch movies. Yet I never want to lose sight of having fun. I never want to feel too old or tired for it. So it’s on the list. Plus, why not give myself an easy win?

Connection is the last of last of these three, well-traveled territory that I have blogged about often. Connection has been a guiding value in my life for a long time and I am intentional and active about making and keeping strong connections with others. However, when I start to feel meh, I withdraw from people. I know it would make me feel better to see or talk with my go-to people, just like I know it would make me feel better to take a walk or do yoga or play a game or go to the beach. But I just don’t do it. So this year, I’m going to try and be more intentional about these things that make such a difference in my enjoyment of life.

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about stacking habits. We are more likely to establish habits and achieve our goals when we can link intentions together. I’m hoping to link health, fun, and connection in the coming year in order to have more of them all.

One example of linking health and fun is playing Beat Saber on my son’s Oculus, a very fun way to move my body, especially later in the day when I tend to simply settle in on the couch. I did this last night, in fact, and it felt great. I take walks and hike regularly with two good friends, which links connection and health. I play board games regularly with my family—fun and connection. I watch Warriors games with them, which was more fun when the Dubs played well, but still brings connection as we share in our frustration.

I’m sure you get what I’m saying, but how about a few more examples, just for fun (see what I did there?). I have two different wine tasting outings scheduled for February—fun and connection. I went to yin yoga with my son last weekend—health and connection. I go to Pilates on Fridays for health and fun and connection.

And this blog is another way for me to connect and have fun. I loved hearing back from many of you about your words and goals and intentions for the new year. Let me know how it’s going and if there might be ways for you to link intentions for yourself. And stay tuned next week for the grand finale word of 2023. You might be surprised!