My One Word Theme for 2021: Tend

Tend (transitive verb)

a. to apply oneself to the care of: watch over 

b. to have or take charge of as a caretaker or overseer

c. cultivate, foster

d. To manage the operations of: mind

Like many households, we have a portable fire pit on our back patio. I bought it with rosy-eyed visions of spending significant amounts of time outdoors sitting around the fire at night. One problem with that fantasy – in any given 15-minute span of time spent outdoors at night, Chris can emerge with at least 15 bug bites. He attracts mosquitoes like no other person I have ever met. Scientists should really study the phenomenon.  And no, the smoke from the fire does not noticeably deter the little flying vampires. Since sitting “around” the fire all by myself isn’t much fun, the fire pit hasn’t gotten as much use as I had envisioned.

Still, Sam and his friends have spent several enjoyable evenings around the fire. I took responsibility for getting the fire started at first because, let’s face it, I’m a helicopter parent. Having never done a lot of fire-building in my past, though, I was surprised at how difficult it is. How do these things just spontaneously spring up in the wild? First you need tinder – something that very easily lights, like newspaper or thin sticks. Tinder may light quickly, but the fire doesn’t last long, so you need to add kindling – larger sticks or thin pieces of wood. Kindling doesn’t catch fire nearly as quickly as one would like, and I’ve found that the kindling needs to be replenished several times before the actual logs catch fire in a significant way. Even when the logs seem like they’re burning nicely you have to pay attention and add more logs just at the right time and in the right configuration (and of the right size) so as not to smother the fire. Fires, like gardens, need to be carefully tended in order to flourish.

When I was thinking about choosing a one word theme for 2021, I didn’t want to come up with something completely removed from my 2020 word “Create.” I still wanted my main aims to be in the creative realm and in continuing to create a life that works for me. I wanted to take the flames of my initiatives from 2020 – my blog, my photography, caring for my home, my family, my friends, my health – and keep them going, feeding them with the kindling of practice, education, and attention. I don’t want what I started to sort of fade off into nothing from lack of care and attention.

Create is such an expansive word. The sound of the word is like watching a time-lapsed video of a flower opening up. Create. The word itself has a drama about it. In comparison to such a glamorous word “tend” sounds very small and unassuming. “Tend” is the daily pulling of weeds in the garden. It’s preparing soil, watering seedlings. Not exciting, but necessary.

So “tend” is my word for 2021. Paying attention. Feeding the flames. Pulling the weeds. Day by day by day. It’s a lovely little word, really. I’m looking forward to keeping it in the forefront of my mind as I travel through 2021. In my next post, I will share the tangible, trackable, ways I will be tending to my goals.

Love,

Michelle xoxo