2021’s Word

Equanimity: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation

I would have done better had ‘equanimity’ been the word of the year at the beginning of 2020. Instead, I had to spend much of the year tied as tight as the French knots in my mother’s embroidered pillow cases. Of course, I don’t remember what 2020’s word was. Maybe freedom or road-trip (which is two words unless you hyphenate it). No matter. Equanimity is this year’s word.

And it is so only because my daughter texted me this morning with the question: “What’s your word for 2021?” She does this every year because she is extremely goal-oriented and very focused. I admire this about her.

I thought for a while – vacillating between ‘unconscious’ and ‘resigned.’ This isn’t good, I thought. I need to have a more uplifting and uplifted attitude about 2021 and so I landed on ‘equanimity’ which I had to look up because I wasn’t 100% sure about the spelling.

The word says everything about how I’d like to proceed into the halting recovery of ourselves that will characterize 2021. I want to be calm, composed, and even-tempered, not just on alternate Tuesdays, but all the time. I don’t know how to go about achieving this but I’ll start by untying all the French knots and then I’ll go outside and walk up hills in the snow.

You have to be calm, composed, and even-tempered when you walk up hills in the snow or you’ll fall and hurt yourself. So, walking up hills in the snow is what I’ll do until equanimity becomes second nature to me. I have all year to get it right.