On the eve of going back to school after a two week vacation, I am both looking forward to what lies ahead tomorrow and in the New Year, and also reflecting on this past year of triumphs and failures. This is the time of year when so many of my friends in my #PLN select One Word which will encapsulate their goals and aspirations for the following year.

One word.

I have looked for the word in my tweets. In moments of silent reflection, I have tried to listen to my heart to see if just one word would surface. I looked back on my blog.

2019 – Leap 

2018 – Gratitude and Kindness

2017 – Possible

In 2016, I made a few New Year’s Resolutions instead of choosing #oneword

I posted this tweet about #OneWord and there were so many excellent responses and words!

I normally come up with #OneWord for the new year, but struggling to decide on the right one. Maybe it’s time to change it up? What is your #OneWord or have you decided on a different approach?

— Jennifer Casa-Todd (@JCasaTodd) January 3, 2020

Still, I struggled with my own word.

One word for a new year of a new decade.

I looked for the word in the photos on my phone. I love to take photos. I take photos of everything. Sometimes I post them, and sometimes I just leave them on my camera roll. I pay a little bit a month just so I can store my photos in iCloud and not have to delete them.

While I was in the hospital with my uncle yesterday, I had lots and lots of time on my hands. I scrolled through every photo from this past year. I discovered in 2019 that although my first love is teaching, working with teachers and speaking is something I am equally passionate about. I also saw in my photos an archive of all that I did last year.

In 2019…

• I took a leave from teaching to work on my Masters and in that time I had the privilege of keynoting various conferences throughout Canada and the US and meeting the most amazing educators and students
• I was honoured to be accepted to present at various conferences including Fall Cue, TCEA, and ISTE which allowed me to hang out with my PLF friends and meet some for the first time
• I really struggled with being away from school and felt sad most days in February, March, and April
• We welcomed our dog Dax into our family
• I was invited to appear on The Agenda and 105.9 radio and was interviewed for the Saskatchewan Gazette
• I felt out of my element as I worked on my thesis; almost giving up completely
• I got accepted to the Raspberry Pi Academy and although I almost backed out because of a crippling fear of failure, I went and loved the experience
• I accepted the invitation to spend 3 days in Boston writing EdWriteNow Volume 3 with 9 other amazing educators organized by Jeff Zhoul and Sanee Bell & hosted by Lauren Davis & Routledge publishing
• I went to Nashville with some of my besties for a Writing Retreat, and then my family joined me in Nashville for a family vacation.
• I wrote a Children’s book with my dear friend, Leigh Cassell and illustrated by a former student and Edumatch publishing. welcomed us and the book into their publishing family.
• I signed on with DBC Publishing (I LOVE them) to write, Raising Digital Leaders, a parent companion to Social LEADia.
• I finished my Masters research project
• I co-hosted three GEG events at Google Toronto
• I was a part of the ISTE Librarians Network board
• I went back to my school in September to continue my role as Teacher-Librarian
• I was accepted to be a Google Innovator as part of the #NYC19 cohort
• I celebrated a milestone birthday with family and friends and planned a milestone birthday party for my hubby
• I cried alot, laughed alot, and read alot
• I watched my girls grow a little more independent and beautiful
• I enjoyed more and more date nights with Stewart and celebrated 23 years of marriage
• I consistently engaged in one Random Act of Kindness a week for almost every week in the year
• I have savoured every moment in the car, around a family dinner, watching cheesy holiday movies and playing games with my family and extended family and friends that feel like family

Looking through those photos made me smile, not because it was a highlight reel of my life, but more because those photos captured the moments and blessings I am otherwise apt to forget when I feel sad or rejected or low or not enough. With each photo, I felt my heart burst with happiness for the many moments of professional and personal joy.

And there it is. I choose:

JOY.

The funny thing is, my husband and I watched the Gilmore Girls movies over the break and were inspired by one of the episodes, where Emily Gilmore walks around her huge mansion lamenting that none of the items around her bring her joy anymore. This led us watching part of Marie Kondo’s Netflix show (don’t you love holidays for the ability to watch tv in your pjs and not feel guilty about it??). We watched a family clean out their closet, hold an item close to their hearts, thank it, and put it in a donate pile if it did not bring them joy. We kind of laughed about it and then we spent the last few days asking each other jokingly, about how much joy some of our things brought us and organized a few closets as a result.

JOY.

It’s not a long word or a fancy word, nor is it very creative. My friend Dean Shareski wrote a book about Embracing a Culture of Joy in Education in 2016, after all. My friend Lynell Powell (Dr Joy herself) wrote a chapter about joy in EdWriteNow.

Amidst all of the negatives I find in the headlines, the misbehaviours of some students, the drama I sometimes experience or see on social media, the hardships I witness of my friends and family who are suffering, I choose to see JOY and fill my heart with JOY and try to spread JOY.

To all of you who read my blog, who have contributed to my learning and growing this past year, and who have made my journey on this earth that much better, I would like to thank you and wish you much joy this coming year.

I am also thinking about this past decade and am excited to reflect on my journey in my next blogpost.

PS: After I published this, my dear friend, Mandy tagged me in this post which offers a 3-2-1 graphic idea which I like much better than 1 word!