As 2025 comes to a close, pause to take one more look back at your One Word.

Reflection Questions to Help You Look Back

Find a few quiet moments to answer one or several of these questions. Even one insightful response can bring clarity.

• Did my word stay relevant throughout the year? Why or why not?
• How often did I notice my word showing up—in conversations, decisions, or circumstances?
• Did my word surprise me in any way, good or bad?
• How did I change because of this word?
• Am I pleased I chose this word?
• Would I recommend this word to someone else?

Rate Your One Word: 1–5 Stars

On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, how would you rate your One Word for 2025?

• 5 Stars — Deeply meaningful and transformative
• 4 Stars — Helpful and grounding
• 3 Stars — Mixed, but still worthwhile
• 2 Stars — Some connection, but limited impact
• 1 Star — Not the right fit this year

There’s no “right” rating. The value is in paying attention to what actually happened between you and your word. 

A Personal Note

One of the reasons I chose RIPPLE for 2025 was to explore the beauty of love moving from one person to another to another.

I hold this hope: that a ripple I set in motion now might one day brush up against a special someone beyond my reach. And that they will receive that love, even if they don’t realize it’s from me.

This is the ripple effect.
I know it’s real.

Will it reach the exact people I long for it to reach?
I may never know.

And if it doesn’t?

At least I have been changed by the sending.

And that is something.

I give 5 stars to Ripple.

Share Your Reflection (or Keep It Private)

You can reflect privately in a journal, talk it through with a friend, share your thoughts in the comments, or link a blog post below. This linkup will remain open through Thursday, January 8.

Every shared post is also highlighted in our One Word Facebook group throughout the month, creating a space to read each other’s words and give encouragement.

Also on Facebook we’re already saying goodbye to our old words through a series of lighthearted polls. We’ll begin revealing our 2026 words on Monday, December 29.

Our first official One Word 2026 linkup will begin on Monday, January 26, and we’ll continue gathering on the 26th of every month throughout 2026.

Question for You

How many stars would you give your One Word 2025? Are you choosing a word for 2026? Share your thoughts in the comments.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas for 2026, join here.

• Get more One Word ideas here
• Let These AI Prompts Help Find Your Word

Link Up About Your One Word

A One Word of the Year practice won’t always teach you something brand-new. But it does give you fresh and valuable gifts throughout a year.

That’s exactly what Ripple did for me this year.

Beginning the Year in Pencil

Back in January, I wrote parts of my calendar in pencil instead of ink because I wasn’t sure how Ripple would unfold. I felt the uncertainty of it—what it might ask of me, where it might lead. (More about that here.)

We can never fully predict what’s ahead: the places we’ll go, the experiences will have, or the people we’ll meet—like the hospital housekeeper I met from Thailand—who quietly ripple in and leave a lasting mark.

Learning to Stay Present

I originally chose Ripple at the beginning of the year to remind me of the importance of the past and of the future.

But ironically, Ripple kept nudging me back into the present. It reminded me that this moment, this breath, this body is where life actually happens.

Sometimes that reminder came through my grandson and Daniel Tiger.
Sometimes it came through my own body telling me she was doing her best.
Sometimes it came simply through slowing down enough to stay awake to the small things.

When One Stone Falls Into the Water

The biggest lesson Ripple gave me was this:

One stone thrown into the water is never the end of the story.

A disagreement with “Mr. T-Shirt Man” taught me that.
Sending a letter in the mail did, too.
So did a simple yes that led to the next yes…and then one more…until a whole string of unexpected connections bloomed into life.

Sometimes we are present when the stone drops. Maybe we’re even the one dropping it. We are the ones creating the ripple that will outlast us, maybe reaching people we may never even know.

Other times we’re swept up in ripples from stones tossed by others on days, years, or even generations ago. (Like that crazy jigsaw puzzle synchronicity at the beach condo.)

A Ripple on a Monday Afternoon

I met a new friend just yesterday who reminded me of this truth.

She’s thriving now in her twenties, but not that long ago, she was a young girl trapped in an abusive situation. She came to see harm as normal. Several times, she tried to end her life because she couldn’t imagine another way out.

But beautiful humans—one by one, moment by moment—kept rippling into her world. Not always dramatically or perfectly. But with consistency and love.

Those ripples carried her to a new place of safety and hope.

She’s worked hard on her own healing, and she’s reaching back to help others heal, too, including learning more about our volunteer work, and eventually hoping to reach her dream of opening a shelter.

For a single Monday afternoon in December, our stories overlapped.
But that is long enough to create a shared ripple between us.

Sometimes that’s all it takes—a single moment, a single kindness, a single gift like a new backpack for a child starting over at a new school—to keep someone going one more day.
And then another.
And another.

Ripples Move Forward—Always Forward

Ripples don’t stay where they start. They move outward, sometimes far beyond sight.

This year reminded me to practice openture instead of closure—to stay open-handed with the stories still unfolding.

It reminded me to prepare for the future even as I honor the past, like when I hesitated to download this countdown app (I still haven’t done it) or when I found my mother’s words written 34 years ago that rippled back into my life just this year.

We carry the ripples of others.
We send out our own.
And together they light up the dark like fireflies on a summer night.

A Ripple Blessing for Year’s End

I wrote this Ripple blessing back in April, but I want to share it again—both for you and for me—as I close out this year of Ripple (even though the ripples never stop flowing).

May you be a ripple, flowing to see others that need to be seen.
May others ripple to you, gazing closer to witness your worth.

May you be a ripple with fresh ears to hear others’ words.
May others ripple to you, tuning into your voice as valuable.

May you be a ripple of gentle waves to heal those who’ve been harmed.
May others ripple to you with layers of compassion to soothe your wounds.

May you be a ripple of love to those from your past to your present.
May others ripple to you, enlarging their reach to surround you with love.

What small ripple has touched your life recently? Did you have One Word of the Year, too? If you want to choose one for 2026, here are 5 questions to help discover your word, and also 6 AI prompts to narrow down your list.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Related Reading to Keep the Ripple Going

Here are a few of my favorite posts this year where small moments created big impact—stories that inspired me and may inspire you too:

• Do You Write in Your Calendar with Ink or Pencil? — Holding plans loosely while navigating the unknown.

• The Ripple Effect of One Yes — How one simple yes led to a string of unexpected connections.

• Learning to Disagree Better — What a moment of conflict taught me about connection and growth.

• Ripples Through Time: Reading My Mother’s Journals — Discovering how the past can ripple into the present in surprising ways.

As November invites us to slow down and be grateful for the good around us, have you thanked your One Word for the gifts it’s given you this year?

A Simple Gratitude Practice to Try

Find a quiet spot and take a few deep breaths. Then think of five or six things you’re grateful for because of your One Word.

Write each one as if you’re speaking directly to it, beginning with the phrase, “Thank you for…”

If you need a few prompts, here are some to spark your thoughts:

• “Thank you for the lesson you revealed during this difficult moment…”
• “Thank you for the people you led me to meet, like…”
• “Thank you for shifting this attitude when I needed it most…”
• “Thank you for reminding me to slow down (or show up, or let go)…”

Want to Take One More Step?

Write your list on a real notecard.

Place it somewhere you’ll see the next few weeks—on your desk, your kitchen counter, or tucked into your journal. Let it remind you of how your One Word has acted as a steady companion throughout 2025.

Share Your List

And if you’re willing, share your list with us!

Here’s the thank you card I wrote to my word Ripple.

You can post yours in the linkup below, add it in a comment, or join us in our One Word Facebook group. Your reflections might encourage someone else on their One Word journey.

The November One Word linkup will be open from Tuesday, November 25 through Tuesday, December 9.

What new insights has your One Word shown you recently? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Looking ahead:
Our December linkup will open two days early—on Tuesday, December 23. Plan to join us with an update about your One Word.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas, join here any time of the year.

• Get more One Word ideas here

Link Up About Your One Word

The Moment My Heart Starts Racing

I feel my heart pump faster.
He really just said that?
He actually believes that lie?
Seriously?

An hour earlier, everything had begun beautifully. It was a gorgeous Saturday morning with a surprising number of like-minded people gathering in our small town to celebrate freedom. I came with a few friends and met up with a couple others once we arrived. We were among “our people” and it felt good.

And then he walks up.

We’d been chatting with strangers all morning, but this one feels . . . different.

My energy shifts as I read the message on his T-shirt. Uh-oh. I immediately think he and I believe different facts.

Nonetheless—because I want to be open-minded—a few of us engage when he starts asking questions.

It’s not long before the disagreements surface. He makes a statement; we counter. He doubles down; we counter that.

Back and forth it goes.

It’s not ugly, per se. It’s definitely not violent. From the outside it might even appear civil.

But I find myself getting riled up anyway with Mr. T-Shirt Man. I feel exhausted. I walk away for a few minutes. Others in our group carry on the conversation. They appear calmer than I am.

I can’t stay away for long though. I’m too curious.

The conversation becomes more strained. Eventually, we encourage him to move along because we’re getting nowhere together.

He agrees to leave. I don’t know where he goes next.

But I know where I go . . . .

Finding My Way to Braver Angels

A few weeks later on another Saturday morning, I find myself seated around round tables in a different city.

I’m attending a workshop hosted by Braver Angels, a national cross-partisan organization that specializes in “taking a stand against toxic politics.”

It’s where I need to be now.
(And where I wish I’d been a month earlier before I met Mr. T-Shirt Man.)

Our topic of the day is “Skills for Disagreeing Better.”

Our facilitator guides us through a workbook. He tells us it is possible to have healthy conversations over disagreeable topics.

I want to believe him.

Practicing the Skills: Learning to LAPP

Then comes the role-playing. We practice one-on-one conversations. Taking opposite sides. Turning off our inner debaters.

We try out LAPP:

1. Listen.

Focus on hearing the other person’s view instead of preparing your rebuttal.

2. Acknowledge.

Reflect back what you heard so they know you understood (and are continuing to try to).

3. Pivot.

Ask if they’re open to hearing your perspective, then wait for a verbal yes.

4. Perspective.

Share your view using tools like:

• Using I-statements
• Naming your sources
• Telling a personal story
• Avoiding negative labels
• Mentioning something you agree with

Some of the skills come easily to us; others are difficult.

Better Equipped—and Better Intentioned

By the end of the session, I do feel better equipped. But more importantly, I feel better intentioned.

I don’t want my goal in difficult conversations to be to win, to change someone’s mind to my way of thinking. I’d rather connect—to really see the fellow human being in front of me instead of only noticing the stereotype, regardless of the message they’re wearing outwardly.

Will I ever run into Mr. T-Shirt Man again? Probably not. But if do, I hope the LAPP skills I practiced with Braver Angels will ripple into our conversation.

Maybe next time I could engage with him a little longer. Hear his words a little clearer. And connect with his humanity a little stronger.

Or . . maybe not.

We don’t get to control the outcomes. But we do get to work on our process.
To be better, do better.
One small ripple at a time.

Is it hard for you to have conversations with people on the “other side” of your political position? I’d love to hear in the comments.

If you’re curious about Braver Angels, here is the link to their free e-courses.

Read more:

• Is Politics Hopeless? 5 Ways to Practice Hope in Politics
  Politics can feel hopeless. But here are 5 commitments to make for practicing hope, even in politics. The choice is yours.
• What Your Most Unlikely Friendship Can Teach You
  Loving Violet taught me that compassion means little if it stays only in the heart—it must move through the body, too.
• Are You Listening With Both Your Ears?
  If you want clearer depth perception, including in your relationships, listen in stereo.

Some days, I forget.
I expect more from myself than I can give.
And more of others, too.
I get grumpy when things go wrong.
As if perfection is ever attainable.

Then I remember:

I’m not perfect.

Neither is my partner.
Nor my friend.
My boss.
My child.
My parent.
My neighbor.
My coworker.

But I am human.
And so are they.

That gives me room to laugh.
And play.
Apologize,
Pivot.
Heal.
Forgive.
Mess up.
Live.
Love.

We’re all carrying invisible loads:
A worry that vibrates inside our bones,
A regret for conversations past,
A hope we’re barely clinging to.

So be kind to fellow humans.
To your coworker.
Your neighbor.
Your parent.
Your child.
Your boss.
Your friend.
Your partner.

And most of all, be kind to yourself.
You deserve it.

Tomorrow, we may forget again.
We may get frustrated, impatient, tired.
That’s okay.
Just begin again.
Start another ripple of kindness.

Because kindness is always possible.
It’s always within reach.
Even for the imperfect.

How often are you intentionally kind to yourself?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

It’s hard to believe it’s time again—but yes, start tuning in for your One Word for 2026. (Read here if you want 6 easy AI prompts to help you choose your word.)

Begin with your 2025 word. Does it still have lessons to teach you? Maybe it’s pointing you in a similar direction for the new year. Or maybe you’re sensing the pull of something entirely new for a fresh start.

Either way, don’t wait until later to begin reflecting. Now is the perfect season to start noticing glimmers of what your next word might be.

Take a few moments over the next few weeks to listen: Is there a word—or maybe a theme—that seems to be inviting you closer?

5 Questions to Help You Find Your 2026 Word

Here are a few questions that might guide your reflection and help your next word reveal itself:

1. What felt EASY OR HARD about living with your 2025 word?

My word RIPPLE has been super easy. I see and hear it everywhere as do my friends, so it has stayed front of mind. 

2. Is there any UNFINISHED BUSINESS with your word—or are you ready to turn the page?

I’ll never be finished with Ripple (our ripples continue on even after we’re gone!), but I am excited to shift in a slightly different—yet similar—direction for 2026.

3. What CHANGES, CHALLENGES, OR DREAMS do you sense stirring for 2026?

Because I’ve felt more healing this year, I’d like a word next year that asks a little more of me (but not TOO much!).

4. Do you want your next word to feel BOLDER, SOFTER, steadier, or more expansive? (Or maybe something else entirely?)

I’d like my word to be a bit more active, yet equally as expansive as Ripple. 

5. Is there a word that keeps popping up—a REPEAT VISITOR that’s asking for a deeper look this time around?

Yes! I’ve been excited about two different words that continue coming to mind. I’m still deciding between the two (or maybe something completely unexpected?) for 2026. 

Bonus Reflection

Take a moment to trace your One Word journey from past years. Do you notice any patterns or recurring themes? Sometimes our next word is waiting in that thread of growth.

I collaborated with AI to write a poem using my One Words from the past 10 years. Here’s what we came up with!

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear what YOU are beginning to sense for 2026. If you’d like, share your early ideas in the comments below. Add any updates about your old or new word from your own blog in our linkup. It’s open through Saturday, November 8.

Exploring new words is meant to be both fun and meaningful—it’s like giving yourself a small but powerful gift before the year-end rush begins.

Here’s to listening well and discovering what’s next. May your 2026 word find you right on time.

Do you see any glimmers yet of a 2026 One Word? Ready to share?

We’d love to hear in the comments.

Looking ahead: Our November linkup will open on Tuesday, November 25. Plan to join us with an update about your One Word.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas, join here any time of the year.

• Get more One Word ideas here

Link Up About Your One Word

Years before my mother died, she wrote letters to each of her children. To be read after she died. I didn’t wait.

But she also left other writings behind. Last week, I finished reading the final page that I have of my mother’s journals, mostly centered in 1991. She knew her thoughts might be read one day, so she began with a disclaimer: these were simply her unfiltered thoughts, written to help her survive a difficult season.

As I turned those last few pages, I was surprised by the sadness that overcame me. Reading her thoughts had brought back a piece of her—she’s been gone since 2010—and renewed a conversation (albeit only one direction) that death had interrupted but not fully erased.

Words In Time

Because I was reading her journals, I started wondering about my own journals.

I’ve kept journals off and on my whole life. They’ve always been private—a secluded space to process life. But as I read my mother’s reflections, I couldn’t help wondering: if my own daughters read my journals one day, what story would they hear? What kind of ripples am I leaving behind?

So, I’ve decided to take a year and at least glance through my old journals, if not read them thoroughly. It’s an undertaking I may or may not get through, but here I go.

To start, I randomly pulled one from my shelf. On the first page, I saw the date: 1991.
The same year I had just finished reading about in my mother’s journals.

Two women, two generations, living side by side in time on the pages.

Same Year, Different Worlds

In 1991, my mom was struggling as a daughter herself to care for her aging father, my granddaddy, while balancing her other roles of wife, mother, and grandmother.

That same year, I was a newly single mom, caring for my toddler, and trying to figure out how to create a new life that was totally different than what I’d imagined it would be.

We were both hurting in our own worlds.

And even though we loved each other deeply and talked to each other often about many things in our lives, our private journals revealed an unspoken truth: we were protecting each other from the full weight of each other’s pain.

Me with my daughter, mother, great-grandmother, and grandfather

The Quiet Legacy of Ripples

As I read through my mom’s pages, I saw things that were both familiar and strange. I recognized the basic outline—I had known back then when she was traveling and what had been hard or easy each week—but I hadn’t known how much agony she was experiencing through the decisions she was having to make. (I would feel that same agony years later when we had to make similar decisions about her care.)

In my own pages, I’m reading things I both remember and have forgotten. Some things cause me to laugh out loud; other things make me cringe (I’ve ripped up and thrown out several pages already that I definitely don’t want my daughters to read).

Reading both journals at once is shifting the way I think about legacy.

Not the grand, headline-making kind that we often hear about—“Create your own legacy!”—but the quieter, more ordinary, and maybe more human kind.

We each create tiny ripples every day—through our words, choices, and even our silences about the heartaches and joys we share, and the ones we keep close.

Lessons from the Ripples

Here’s what I’m learning from reading both my mother’s and my own words:

• Our words matter, even the unspoken ones.
  Not all words have to be spoken—sometimes writing the words gives us power enough to uncover complex truths, things we may not verbalize, but things that make a difference nonetheless.
• We are both senders and receivers of ripples.
  My mom couldn’t have known that her scribbles from 34 years ago in 1991 would one day help me see both of us more clearly in 2025.
• Pain can be a bridge of connection.
  Even though the specifics of my mom’s struggles and my own were different, the ache running through our stories was similar and universal.
• The past voice can comfort the present self—and vice versa.
  Hearing my mom’s voice and rereading my own has shown me the progress I’ve made in some areas, but also revealed how some things remain just the same. I can be compassionate toward each of those selves.

The Work of Words

I wish I could, but I can’t go back in time and be more aware of my mother’s hardest days, or be kinder to the fragile woman I was myself in those years.

But I can honor both of them now.

I can thank them—the woman she was, and the woman she raised—for doing their best with what they knew then.

Without realizing it, we were both rippling through time—catching old waves and creating new ones. Offering grace, making memories, and spreading love in the ways we knew how.

The Ripples Continue

Whether words in a journal are ever read again or quietly fade away through time, we can trust they’ve done their work.

They’ve met their purpose—helping shape who we are, who we’re becoming, and what we’re sending out into the world.

One sentence at a time, they continue to ripple throughout time, whispering:
We were here. And we mattered.

Who has rippled the most into your life—and who do you want to ripple into? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read more:

• Before you box up the past, ask yourself this one question first
• Letters from Mama

Your One Word Still Has More to Teach You

Can you believe we’re already nine months into the year with our One Words? For many of us, our word has been a faithful companion—sometimes inspiring, sometimes challenging, and always shaping us in ways we couldn’t have predicted last January.

But here’s even better news: our words still have more to teach us in these last few months of the year. The final quarter is often where the deepest lessons emerge.

A Simple 3-Step Challenge

Here’s an easy practice you can try this month to uncover fresh meaning in your word:

1. Look up your One Word on Wikipedia or a resource of your choice.

2. Find 2–3 new facts, angles, or connections you didn’t know before.

3. Reflect on what you find:

• What surprised you?
• Did it shift your perspective?
• Does it spark any new ways to practice your word in daily life?

My Word: Ripple

Here are two products I discovered when I looked up Ripple.

1. RIPPLE FOODS

I was intrigued to discover this company: Ripple Foods. They create products using the “small but mighty yellow pea to make waves in your world.”

The company is built on the idea that even small choices—like a glass of plant-based milk versus dairy milk—can create far-reaching effects. Their “Ripple Effect” philosophy fits perfectly with my theme that tiny actions matter, whether in business or in life. 

Because I have family members with dairy allergies, I’ll ripple this brand along to them. 

2. RIPPLE, MY LITTLE PONY

When my daughters were young, they had some My Little Pony products. But I don’t remember a character named Ripple. She is a playful baby seapony, the fastest swimmer of all the baby seaponies.

In an episode of the TV series My Little Pony, Ripple rides her frog float into a hidden cave and gets lost. She cries for help until Magic Star comes to her rescue.

This storyline tweaked how I think about ripples. So far, my thoughts on ripples have been how we send contributions out into the world. But Ripple the seapony reminded me that ripples can also carry requests for help. When I send out ripples for help, I can trust that help will eventually find its way back, often in surprising ways.

Share Your Discoveries

When you’ve tried the challenge, I’d love to hear what you find—whether it confirms what you already know or opens up something completely new.

This September One Word linkup will remain open from Thursday, September 25, through Thursday, October 9. Share your insights in a blog post to link up below, drop a note in the comments, or join us in our One Word Facebook group.

Let’s encourage each other to finish the year strong.

What new insights has your One Word shown you recently? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Looking ahead: Our October linkup will open on opens on Saturday, October 25. Plan to join us with an update about your One Word.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas, join here any time of the year.

• Get more One Word ideas here

Link Up About Your One Word

Sitting on the beach with my grandson this week, I noticed his sweet habit of waving his little hand and saying, “Hello!” to strangers strolling by. Every time, the person would turn, smile, and wave back.

A simple greeting—even to a stranger—is a small gesture. Yet it makes faces light up.

Melissa McCarthy once said:

“I love to throw a loud, aggressive compliment. I yell things at people a bunch, like “You’re doing great!” or “You look terrific!” I’ll roll down the window in my car and yell, “I’m in love with that scarf!”

…and then I bet that person, within the hour, is going to say something nice to another person, and then it’s going to keep ping-ponging. We need more of that ripple effect.”

My grandson might not understand the fullness of those ripple effects yet, but he’s living them.

His wave is like a compliment passed across a thin space—sparking a small joy that keeps traveling on.

Kindness doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s just a wave.

When’s the last time a small kindness made your day? Share your thoughts in the comments.

“When you stop expecting things to last, you begin to value them more.”
– from The Beauty of Letting Go

The Countdown I’m Not Ready For

I recently read about an app that calculates how much time you might have left on earth.

Once you enter your birthdate, it gives you a countdown of your potential days remaining, based on official World Health Organization data, scientific research, and your own habits. (It also gives you a countdown toward any goal, vacation, or accomplishment you’re working toward, etc.)

Part of me is very intrigued. One of my Ripple goals this year is to be more intentional about end-of-life things.

But how would I feel seeing I might have only 20 remaining first-day-of-autumns, for instance? Would it make me more appreciative of each one instead of saying, “Nothing new here; I’ve seen this before“? Limited quantities of something do wake me up.

On the other hand, do I really want to keep track of these things, like how few Christmases I have left? It sounds depressing. Would I obsess more about the declining numbers instead of embracing the ones I do have?

For now, I’ve hit pause on downloading the app. But I keep thinking about it.

Because with or without an app, I already know this: I will die. So will you. Our days here are numbered. Our trips around the sun won’t last forever. This moment, this day, these circumstances are constantly changing.

What Acceptance Is—and Isn’t

When I think about the finite lifespan of not only myself but also of those I love, it makes me sad, of course.

But this is the reality where acceptance lives.

Accepting something doesn’t mean we have to like it. I don’t like that I have and will continue to lose people I love in this life. I won’t stop grieving losses I’ve already experienced.

Neither does acceptance imply we have to pretend that tragedies—like mass shootings, systemic racism, or chronic illness—are somehow okay.

Acceptance doesn’t mean we stop advocating for justice for the future. I can accept what’s happening even as I work to change it.

Instead, acceptance is simply facing what is real. It’s refusing to hide in denial. It’s saying, “This is the way it is, whether I like it or not.”

• Before you can heal, acknowledge the wound.
• Before you can change, recognize the problem.
• Before you can apologize, admit you were wrong.

Acceptance is naming what is true. Without it, we end up living in fantasies instead of living in the life we actually have.

Why Facing Reality Matters

If I were to download the countdown app, I wouldn’t be creating my death—I’d only be acknowledging the reality of it. That’s the same role acceptance plays.

“What does it mean to live without the illusion of forever? It means choosing honesty over comfort. It means loving people as they are, not as you want them to stay. It means waking up each morning knowing that everything you touch is temporary—and choosing to love it anyway. That’s not pessimism. That’s reverence.”
-from The Beauty of Letting Go

When I resist reality, I use up precious energy fighting a losing battle of “It shouldn’t be this way.”

But when I accept reality, I free my energy to ask, “Given this truth, now what?”

Acceptance grounds me. From there, I can:

• work to repair relationships,
• take action for a more equitable world,
• savor gifts each day at a time, without rushing.

Acceptance doesn’t make the path easy or bring everything (or anything?) under my control. Other people’s choices and circumstances outside my control also shape outcomes.

Acceptance keeps me aligned with reality. It keeps me from wasting my life waiting for things to be different before I start living.

Practicing Acceptance in Real Time

So I sit here with the app still not on my phone. I may never install it. But even without the digital reminder, I already know what it would say: my days are limited.

The question is not whether I like that truth. The question is whether I will let myself face it anyway—and then decide how to live from there.

And maybe that’s the gift of acceptance. I don’t have to stare at a countdown to remember that time is precious. I can let each season remind me. I can let each conversation matter. I can let each breath be enough.

Acceptance is not resignation. It’s the first step toward wisdom, change, and love.

Face it first. Then move forward without clinging, knowing that this moment—as fleeting as it is—is a magnificent gift to behold.

If possible, would you want to know exactly how many days you might have left? (I recommend the novel The Measure by Nikki Erlick if the question intrigues you.)

Share in the comments.