I’m writing this on Sunday, the 12th Day of Christmas! Tonight is Twelfth Night, and tomorrow (Monday) is Epiphany. Did you know it’s bad luck to leave your Christmas decorations up past Epiphany? I guess I’ll be testing that out, because while I’m working on it, I won’t have them all put away. Let’s just tempt fate and see what happens!
On this 12th Day of Christmas, I’m going into a deeper dive on my word of 2025, “Engage.” When I did a review of 2024, I realized that so many of the highlights of my year were things I initially didn’t want to do, but made myself do anyway. For example…
At the beginning of the high school football season, I really didn’t feel like going to the games, especially since the first two were on Thursday nights. But I convinced myself to go, and ended up really enjoying them. As the season went on, I started to look forward to every game, and was sad on the weeks where the team was away.
Well- our team went on to win the State Championship this year. It would have been exciting no matter what (since my daughter is in the band) but the fact that I had been at every single home game really elevated the experience for me.
It wasn’t just getting myself off the couch to go places that made the year special- it even played out in my choice of books. It’s hard for me to commit to a really long book, but this year I read Stephen King’s 11/22/63, and the three books in Ken Follett’s The Century Trilogy. All these books were around 1000 pages, and I absolutely LOVED them. They were the reading highlights of my year.
I realize these examples sound pretty tame. I mean, there are people hiking in New Zealand, visiting Antarctica, taking horseback riding lessons and learning to surf. And my version of “engaging” with the world is to read longer books and go to high school football games? Well… yes. But I also want to be aware of all the times I don’t want to do something, reexamine that, and push myself to do it anyway.
My other way of engaging this year will be to immerse myself more fully in the things I’m doing. This idea came about one day at work. It was the beginning of the day, I was tired, had a headache, and had a full day of clients ahead of me. I thought “Well, the only way through is through” and began the day.
As I was working, I started to really think about that phrase. Sometimes I’ll think I’m going through something, while really trying to go around it. Like, I’ll go through the motions but won’t be putting my full attention on it. As I started every massage that day, I repeated “the only way through is through” and thought about what “through” really means; in other words, to go right through the middle of it, fully immersed and focused. It turns out, doing it that way produces a much more pleasurable experience for everyone involved.
So… “Engage.” Engage with the world, with the people and experiences around me, and also engage more fully in my activities and work. Put my full attention on the things I’m doing and go right through the middle of them.
Do you see yourself as an adventurous person? – I’m MUCH too happy at home, reading with a cat snuggled on my lap.
25 Responses
Goodness, there’s a lot in that last bit, isn’t there? The only way through is through…clearly not the ONLY way, because all too often, you are right, we look for ways around the moments that make up our life. Being present is sometimes quite difficult or boring actually. But there are gifts there as well, like you said…being present when you work makes the massage better for you AND the client. (speaking of which, I received a gift certificate for a massage for my birthday, and I have scheduled it for Jan 31st, and I’m already looking forward to it.)
Like you, I am happiest at home. My husband loves to go out and do things. He wanted to go to a concert in early December (he bought tickets back in May I think) and I didn’t really want to go. And it was a small venue, no real place to sit, and my feet hurt the entire time. But aside from that, it was GREAT. So fun to see live music (which I never want to do ahead of time but always enjoy), fun to be in a small venue where we could really see well. Fun to go out on a Monday night with my husband (we took Tuesday off though.)
I would be the exact same way- not wanting to go, wanting to just stay home and read my book. But, then you look back on it and have great memories. So, I just need a little push to get myself out there.
I’m excited that you’re getting a massage! I need to get one too this month.
“Sometimes I think I’m going through something, while really trying to go around it” – this is so true for me sometimes too! I look forward to reading more about you engaging this year. I also need to push myself to go and do things sometimes, hence my commitment to go swimming in open water a certain number of times, otherwise I’d just hang around home because it’s a bit of a hassle to go out.
I feel like you need to rethink how adventurous you are, though; your ultra trail running is certainly adventurous, so give credit where credit is due.
Going swimming in open water is actually a perfect example- it’s something I wouldn’t want to do, but if I pushed myself to do it it’s so exhilarating. I of course won’t be doing that this year but I’ll be cheering you on!
Immersing yourself fully in the things you do… that’s inspiring and a great attitude! Engage is an excellent word of the year for what you earlier said you wanted it to include.
I think you are very adventurous! I remember you just barely coming out of an injury after an ultra race… and signing up for something new. Even going for a run in the dark seems adventurous to me.
I don’t feel adventurous at all but as I’ve mentioned in my recent post, people have described me differently. But while I love the comfort of home, I also really enjoy going out in the world to do fun things.
Regarding keeping Christmas decor up past Epiphany… I’m sure the Swedes haven’t heard of that! In Sweden there’s a tradition of the 20th day of Christmas when there, at least according to tradition, are parties to throw out the Christmas tree. Most people nowadays do it much earlier but when I grew up, those parties were a real thing!
Oh REALLY? 20 days of Christmas! I think I’m going to embrace that, ha ha.
Oh, I love that, Jenny. You’re right, we can be there without really being there, you know? Life is so much better when you immerse yourself in it, I find. There’s nothing wrong with reading longer books and going to football games! That sounds pretty good to me. Like you I am saying yes to more things and I find it’s really making my life so much more fun. I am here for your year of engage!
Thank you Nicole! You seem to have the perfect balance of a nice, cozy home routine, and fun adventures (I’m thinking of ALL the traveling you did this year!)
I think you’re doing great at engaging with life! I find it hard to be present in my life, especially when I’m going through something boring, like a typical work day, and often find myself dreaming of some upcoming thing I’m looking forward to, but then I find that life passes by so quickly and then that thing I was excited about is already over (like my time off work, sniff!)
I think I’m adventurous in some ways — I love getting out on the trails and exploring new ones, but I don’t enjoy experiences as much that involve crowds!
Yes, I feel the same way- I’m adventurous as long as I can be by myself. And, yes- it’s so hard to be present when you’re doing the same thing over and over again. But since we spend so many hours of our days like that… do we really want to daydream through them? It’s a real challenge.
You seem fully engaged in so many things already, what a wonderful word! I can’t wait to hear all the ways you will apply it…
I like the cozy picture of you reading with a cat in your lap…
I don’t think of myself as adventurous, but people tell me I’m fearless because I stand up to bullies etc. (I don’t see myself that way either!)
You seem fearless to me (the famous “gun” incident comes to mind.) I guess people are fearless in different ways.
Hahaha.
But I’m so superstitious…
I paused reading your post yesterday because I remembered I still had some outdoor decorations up. I didn’t want to risk bad luck, so I took it down before I resumed reading. 🙂
Thanks for adding to my box of superstitions, I guess? 🤣
Adventurous with some things and not with others. You won’t see me skydiving or trail racing but I’m usually a yes on many other things.
Yes, reading these comments I’m realizing people are adventurous in different ways. You’re always up for a social event, race, museum, show…. those things count as “adventures” to me.
It is the year of BIG BOOKS!! I am so excited to immerse myself into big books this year, too. I can’t wait to hear about the books you choose.
Is it just a coincidence that so many of us are talking about reading long books??? It’s kind of bizarre that we all came up with it at the same time.
I’m so proud and awed of the size of some of the books you read. I’m too intimidated to pull that off at this stage in life, but #Goals.
We have our tree up and all our wreaths, but mostly everything else has been taken down. I leave the wreaths up for a few months, the tree will come down in about a week? I just LOVE the glow and it really does make my so much happier when I come out each morning. It softens the blow of waking up to darkness and bitter cold. (It’s -16C or 3 F). COLD!!!! I’ll take my risks with “bad luck”!
Well according to Susanne and the Swedes, we can leave the decorations up until the 20th Day of Christmas!!! Hooray!
Well our decorations will be up until the 12th so I am really tempting fate over here! Most years I am so ready to pull everything down – this year I am not! I just want that light as long as possible! But a commenter made a good suggestion about filling a vase with lights/bobbles and putting it on a timer.
I was an adventurous person before I had kids. Now, I would say I am far less adventurous, or my adventures are things like taking my children to the zoo or finding a new library. But sometimes you have to start small, like taking on the challenge of a daunting 1,000 page book!
Yes, there are definitely different ways you could add light. I leave up a strand of white lights on the bookshelves for a long time- I think last year I finally took them down around Valentine’s Day. I’m not dealing with the cold like you are, but it’s still dark and gloomy in the early mornings.
I don’t know about these people who do all sorts of traveling with small children! I agree with you- just taking them to the zoo is enough of an adventure. There’s a time for everything.
Love your reflections on this Jenny. Most people would never dare to run the kinds of races you run, so you are adventurous in your own way! I just finished my first long book in a long time (A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – almost 800 pages), and it was so good! Yay for long books, I think 4000 weeks had a section about how hard things are more pleasant when you are fully present- it’s an interesting concept.
Yes, hard things are definitely more pleasant when you’re fully present- which is counterintuitive in a way. You kind of want to avoid them by NOT being fully present, but it doesn’t turn out well.
I think that’s a great change of perspective, instead of suffering and enduring something that we have to do but don’t feel like it, think about ways to engage and do it and get something out of it, learn something new around it. Our attitude is the lense we see the world; it’s under our control so why not choose a bright one.
I don’t consider myself adventurous by nature but I enjoy so much learning about new things and get out of my comfort zone, so I love traveling to achieve these two goals.
Once again, it’s interesting how we’re all adventurous in our own ways. I think all the traveling you do is VERY adventurous, plus you’re about to move to a different country!!! That’s extremely adventurous to me.