Lisa notes

Prepare to Shift: Choosing My Word for a Year That Will Change

By LisaNotes January 1, 2026 Personal Growth, Shift: One Word 2026 26 Comments

“All that you touch, you change.
All that you change, changes you.
The only lasting truth is change.”
– Lauren Olamina in Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

A Daily Walk, A Subtle Shift

I open the front door.
The sun is shining, but the breeze is cold.
I slip on my gloves. It’s going to be a cold walk.

Winter neighborhood walk showing subtle changes in light and movement

As has become my practice, I begin my walk by noticing how the shift in environment—from inside to outside—feels to my body:

  • the change in temperature on my skin,
  • the direction of the wind on my face,
  • the deeper breaths as I walk up the hill.

But when I turn the corner around the block, I consciously shift to a different mindset.

Now I’m looking for one thing:

What looks different today compared to yesterday?

Change Is Always Happening (Even If Invisible)

There are always differences. Even if I can’t spot them.

Since yesterday, I know that:

  • the wind has rearranged fallen leaves,
  • squirrels have stirred their acorn piles,
  • cars have passed by, leaving microscopic rubber dust on the road.

Change is always around me.

But it isn’t only the outer world that shifts.

Close-up of leaves shifted by wind on a neighborhood sidewalk

We Are Not Who We Were Yesterday

Our inner worlds are always on the move, too.

I am not the same person I was yesterday.
Neither are you.

We may look the same on the outside from day to day. And even on the inside, we’re breathing with the same lungs as yesterday, heaving the same heart up and down, and processing information with the same brain.

But the air molecules we’re inhaling today are new. The blood we’re pumping has been replaced by millions of fresh cells. And the thoughts we’re thinking are traveling on updated neural pathways based on our latest experiences.

Ready or not, aware or not,
we are changing.

field at twilight with shifting sunlight and birds

Choosing My One Word for 2026: Shift

It was on one of these ordinary daily walks that I found my new One Word for 2026

SHIFT

because I’m so amazed, perplexed, and often troubled by these universal truths:

  • Everything is impermanent.
  • Everything changes.
  • Everything shifts.

The earth does.
Circumstances do.
We do.
Every thing, every day.

From Ripple to Shift

In 2025, my word was Ripple. Through its lens, I watched when one thing moves, it affects everything around it.

With each shift you make, my world adjusts a little.
With each shift I make, yours does too.

This isn’t new wisdom, of course. As far back as 500 BCE, we have these sayings attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus:

  • “The only constant in life is change,” and
  • “You cannot step into the same river twice.”

handlettering the one word shift

The Art of Small Adjustments

Studies say we make an average of 200 decisions on every mile we drive (depending on city or highway traffic). These micro-adjustments can be slight moves with the steering wheel, speeding up or slowing down, taps on the brake, checking our mirrors, deciding when to change lanes—all important changes to ensure a safe journey.

Similar changes are just as important as we drive (and are driven) in our lives. The subtle shifts we will make each day in the coming year will help keep our minds, hearts, and bodies aligned to our changing environments.

Some shifts will be deliberate and noticeable.
But many shifts will happen underneath our consciousness, yet equally vital in keeping us responsive, alive, and moving along in the direction we hope to go.

My Intention for the Year Ahead

As this new year begins, my desire is:

to notice shifts more closely,
to make some shifts more intentionally,
and to accept inevitable (even unwanted) shifts more freely.

I’m writing this post as my first official partnership with Shift in 2026. I have designed a logo of Shift to put on my mirror. I’ve mapped a monthly schedule to include things like experimental shifts in pace, closer awareness of nature shifts, and noticing which of my interests have shifted over time.

Yet all the while I know, even begrudgingly, that these plans will shift in big and small ways to accommodate real life as it comes. Rigidity means death when we’re too inflexible. Shifts are healthy for growth.

This I can know with certainty:

Everything changes.

So this year I want to stay present.
Learn to make adjustments.
And be grateful for shifts.

Read more here about Shift - One Word 2026

Questions for You

What’s one small shift you’ve noticed in your life lately? Is there a small or large shift you’d like to make in 2026?

If you have a word of the year, what is it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

About One Word of the Year:

If choosing one guiding word for the year speaks to you, you’re invited to join our online One Word community. We offer encouragement to each other all year round to continue practicing our words. You’ll receive a monthly email with suggestions, an invitation to join our private Facebook group if you’d like, and opportunities to share blog posts each month on the 26th.

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On the Blog – December 2025

By LisaNotes December 31, 2025 Archives No Comments

Here are brief summaries and links to posts on the blog, Lisa notes, from December 2025.

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See previous months’ archives here

Four Simple Tools I Use to Live with Time—Not Against It
Share Four Somethings

By LisaNotes December 29, 2025 Life updates, Personal Growth 22 Comments

Time stays on my mind a lot, but especially so at the changing of a year. I track it a little closer. And watch it pass a little quicker.

Although not by design, I’m unsurprised that my collection of Share 4 Somethings this month ended up centering on time—specifically on tools that help me live my hours and days with more intention.

Each month I share 4 somethings that I have:

  1. Loved
  2. Learned
  3. Went well
  4. Let go of

And then I link up with Jenn. Visit her post to see new prompts for 2026!

I’m also sharing my previous month’s One Second Everyday video . . .

Video of One Second Everyday for November 2025

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Something I loved

  • SEEING THE YEAR ALL AT ONCE 

Are you a calendar person? I’d be lost without mine—both digital and paper. [Do You Write In Your Calendar With Ink or Pencil?]

I’ve added one more calendar to the mix the past three years: a continuous calendar.

image of a 2026 continuous calendar

I use this one for one purpose only—to log when we’re going to be out of town. No weekly boxes. No clutter. Just the full year stretched out in one spot.

There’s something grounding to see our planned comings and goings in this way—a visual reminder of the subtle shifts in location we want to make over the year.

Here’s the link to the free continual calendar site I download from, though there are plenty of other options online.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something I learned

  • LETTING AI HELP SCHEDULE MY ONE WORD

The past couple of years I’ve asked AI to help organize my One Word of the Year into a practical, monthly schedule. I start with a simple prompt to give it my own ideas, like:

> “My new One Word of the Year for 2026 is ___. Create a calendar with a monthly theme, three journal prompts, and three activities centered on one aspect of my word, such as ___.”

Then I ask for more ideas. I narrow them down to the ones I like the best. Then I ask for a one-page printable. And finally, a visual (although I’ve yet to love theirs, so I create my own).

What I’ve learned is I don’t have to outsource my thinking to AI to get the most from it. Instead, I can just use it as a conversation partner to spot patterns and better organize themes. For my 2026 word, it was once again helpful to keep my plans simple and doable.

(If you want to play with AI to discover or refine your own One Word of the Year, try these 6 prompts.)

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Something that went well

  • 15 YEARS, 1 LINE AT A TIME

Wow—it’s hard to believe I’ll finish writing my third five-year “one line a day” journal on December 31. That means I’ve been doing this for fifteen years?!!

I’ve already bought my newest 5-year book, ready to begin on January 1, 2026. (I’d love to find a spiral-bound one, but no luck yet.)

image of five-year one line a day memory book

While I don’t always love doing it, I always love having done it (that makes sense, right?). It’s a quick, low-pressure way to capture one small—or big—thing from each day.

The real fun comes from looking back at the same date across different years. It’s a nice little snapshot of who and where I was then, and a reminder of details I’d otherwise have forgotten (like, what was the name of that restaurant we really liked in Panama City?).

Here’s what I wrote on this day:

One year ago:
December 29, 2024, Su.
Jeff and H ride bikes. I throw away more stuff.

Five years ago:
December 29, 2019, Su.
Such a fun trip seeing the girls! I’m exhausted.

Ten years ago:
December 29, 2015, Tu.
HARD day with stomach pain. Visit doc but no help. Jeff taking good care of me.
(Less than a month later, I’d have my gallbladder removed—problem solved.)

It makes me wonder what I’ll write at the end of this day, and how it will sound to future me, who will already know what came next.

four 5 year books of one line a day to keep track of time

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Something I let go of

  • A DAY TO RELEASE AND REIMAGINE

A few weeks ago, I spent a day letting go of 2025 and looking ahead to 2026. I followed the same schedule from this amazing book I used last year, including one activity where I stacked a coin for every year I’ve lived—and then estimated another stack for how many years I might have left.

2 stacks of coins indicating years lived and years remaining

It’s a sobering practice. (Who knows if the remaining stack should be much shorter—or even taller?)

During the journaling, I wrote down what I believed to be my biggest problem and my greatest joy. I’m curious to see, a year from now, whether they’ve shifted or stayed the same.

Also from the book is a blessing I’ve been carrying with me ever since—I offer it first to myself then extend it outward to others:

As I grow older, may I be kind to myself;
As I grow older, may I accept joy and sorrow;
As I grow older, may I be happy and at peace.

notebook on a desk to journal about time with a book about aging

I can’t predict what will happen in this coming year. But one thing I do know, if we’re still here:

Time will keep moving.
Calendars will keep turning.
And we’ll keep showing up in the days we’re given—living them, remembering them, and letting them go . . . when it’s time.

A Question for You:

What’s a tool or practice that helps you live with time? Do you use a digital or physical calendar? A journal?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read more about time:

I’m linking at these blog parties

Everything Is a Story: How the Narratives We Live By Shape Our Lives

By LisaNotes December 26, 2025 Book reviews 6 Comments

The first time I heard Kaitlin Curtice speak was at a conference I attended three years ago. From her talk that evening, I wrote down these notes (among others):

“Once you know, you can’t unknow.”

“We live in cycles not lines.”

“When oppression happens around us, even if not to us, it affects us.“

“Protest is grief in motion.”

Looking back, it’s easy to see she would later write a book about stories.

And that I would want to read it.

Stories as Living Things

In Everything Is a Story, Curtice invites us to look at the stories we tell, the stories we inherit, and the stories we repeat—and ask a question of them:

Are these stories healing us, or are they holding us hostage?

As a visual metaphor throughout the book, Curtice equates stories to oak trees. Thus, she describes stories as alive—planted in us, growing over time, shaping who we become.

Hands holding acorns and a small oak tree indicating the beginning of a story

“Throughout time, we are repackaging many of the same stories: redemption, spirituality, power, grief and pain, ecstasy, and, yes, the magic and the mundane of humanity.”

She explains that even when stories are ignored, they don’t necessarily fade. Sometimes they just deepen their roots.

So pay attention to your stories.

The Power to Harm or Heal

Rather than offering answers in her book, Curtice offers discernment.

“This book is a chance for us to examine how storytelling has been a revolutionary tool for love and a weapon used for power and submission throughout the centuries.”

She asks us to notice how stories function in our lives—especially ones we’ve never questioned.

Consider the framework she offers for sorting our stories:

  • Liminal stories — complex, uncertain, full of questions
  • Loving stories — rooted in belonging and tenderness
  • Lethal stories — driven by fear, oppression, and control

Then also ask whether the story is cyclical or linear—does it trap us, or does it allow transformation?

Applying this framework to the narratives we often repeat to ourselves can bring clarification and insight.

Stories as Mirrors

“Our stories are mirrors . . . and when used the right way, these stories can lead us to tenderness and curiosity rather than judgment.”

This section of Curtice’s work feels particularly important to me—does labeling our stories distort their message and turn them into something they weren’t meant to be?

For example, she uses this example of the ways we talk about one another:

“Some kids are bad, while some kids are just having a bad day. Spot the difference?”

Also, stories can change over time. Our best hope is that they mature well, like an oak tree.

“Oak trees are often at least twenty to thirty years old before they bear any fruit. So, too, stories take time.”

Meanings shift. Layers are revealed. What feels fixed today may not be the story that lasts.

Why This Book Matters

Everything Is a Story doesn’t tell you which stories to remember and tell. Rather, it teaches you how to notice your stories.

And in doing so, it leaves you with this truth:

“We tell stories, we experience stories, but also, we are the stories, and the stories are us.”

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A question for you:
Is there a story you tell yourself that needs to be reframed into a better story?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

My thanks to NetGalley for
the review copy of this book

Rate Your One Word 2025: Reflection, Closure, and What Comes Next
{One Word 2025 December Linkup}

By LisaNotes December 23, 2025 One Word Community, Ripple: One Word 2025 11 Comments

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)

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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.

Link Up About Your One Word

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Top 5 Fiction Books of 2025: Stories That Stayed With Me

By LisaNotes December 19, 2025 Books I Recommend 22 Comments

In 2025, these five novels kept my attention, their characters worked their way into my heart, and their storylines left me thinking more deeply about the human predicament and our resilience.

Here are my top fiction picks and what I’m taking from them. (See my top 10 nonfiction books here.)

1. Here One Moment

by Liane Moriarty

Here One Moment book cover

A mysterious passenger aboard a flight walks down the aisle predicting deaths. This was a great story for my word of the year Ripple. It showed how people react differently to news about their life spans. I appreciated how this novel made me wonder how I would react in a similar situation.

  • Quick takeaway: Expectations of the future affect choices made today.
  • Think about: How comfortable am I with uncertainty?

2. Take My Hand

by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Take My Hand book cover

Based on a true story from the 1970s, the main character uncovers a horrific racial injustice in the healthcare system in Alabama. It was a painful story to read, yet also an important one to know about. Learning from the past helps us do better in the future.

  • Quick takeaway: Justice needs human prodding to keep it moving forward.
  • Think about: What sacrifices am I willing to make for human dignity?

3. The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

The Color Purple book cover

This classic is a series of letters that Celie writes over several decades to God and to her sister about the oppressive events of her life during the early 1900s. It’s a powerful story of resilience and change through trauma and self-discovery by a Black woman in the American South.

  • Quick takeaway: Everybody has a voice that deserves to be heard.
  • Think about: How do I claim my story to live a more full life?

4. There Are Rivers in the Sky

by Elif Shafak

There Are Rivers in the Sky book cover

This is a sweeping story that takes place over several centuries and continents, connecting four people linked by water, memory, and the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh. If you like multi-layered storytelling, this one is for you as it weaves together personal and cultural histories over time.

  • Quick takeaway: Stories connect the past with the present and with the self.
  • Think about: How has history shaped who I am?

5. My Friends

by Fredrik Backman

My Friends book cover

This new novel about is about a teenager in the present who is mesmerized by a painting of four teenagers in the past. Backman unfolds the plot by flashing back to the past to connect it with the present. It’s a coming-of-age story that is both heartbreaking and endearing.

  • Quick takeaway: Friends shape lives in unexpected ways, in the moment and years later.
  • Think about: What does it mean to truly see and be seen by others?

Did a novel make an impact on you this year? Share in the comments.

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