Each year, a word emerges — not as a goal, but as a way of naming what’s already unfolding.

This year, it came quietly: Embodied.

Embodied (adj.)
Present within one’s lived experience; grounded in reality rather than abstraction; attentive to limits, pace, and what is actually required.

It didn’t arrive as an aspiration.
It arrived because it fit.

After years shaped by grief, health concerns, and shifting relationships, this season has asked for less explanation and more presence. Not everything needs to be interpreted or improved. Some things simply need to be lived through as they are.

Part of what I’m noticing right now is ordinary and seasonal — darker mornings, shorter days, a slower rhythm. Winter has a way of making everything feel heavier, and I don’t think that always needs a deeper story attached to it. Sometimes it’s just January.

Embodied feels like a way of staying with what’s real — without pushing, fixing, or assigning meaning where none is needed. It’s about moving at an honest pace. Paying attention to limits. Letting energy be what it is.

When I think about what this word holds for me, these words keep coming to mind:

Grounded — rooted in what’s actually happening
Integrated — allowing different realities to coexist without explanation
Present — staying where I am, rather than bracing for what’s next
Attuned — noticing energy, capacity, and timing
Whole — not perfected, but intact

This word makes room for quiet growth, for fatigue, for steadiness, for remembering without ceremony, and for moving forward without urgency.

As I step into the new year, I’m not trying to define myself more clearly or arrive somewhere new. I’m simply staying present with the life in front of me — as it is.

That is what Embodied means to me.
And it feels like the right word for this season.