Nest | 2024

Good morning, friends! It’s been quite a while since I’ve gotten up super early to write a blog post and I won’t bore you with all the details about why, but it feels good to be at my desk this morning with a hot cup of coffee and a semi-quiet house. I never know how long this reverie will last so I’m going to get straight to today’s point: sharing my word for 2024.

I wrote in my post about The Year of the Sparrow that I thought this year’s word would have something to do with a bird. And here I am, already a month into a year with the word Nest as my mantra!

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I was inspired by Mary’s word last year, Season. I knew I wanted a word that wouldn’t involve a lot of internal and external work, but would allow me to simply observe what’s happening around me and embrace my circumstances.

I’m thinking of Nest mostly as a noun, but it has the potential to turn into action at times. I’ve said to myself several times already, the mess is okay because we’re building a nest. Nests are incredible creations that are built with the detritus found by industrious little birds. They’re not picture-perfect but they’re exactly what’s needed in the moment.

For several years, I’ve been working to simplify and minimize around the house. This year, I’m going to practice accepting things as they are. There will still be daily tidies and occasional decluttering sessions, but I’m working to work really hard at making them intentional and good-natured. I’m trying to pay attention to my self-talk during those moments and ensure that the words I say to myself are kind. That’s going to be difficult!

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We’re building a nest has come in handy several times already. One example:

I bought fabric for a quilt nearly two years ago that I’ve barely started. But earlier this month I unearthed my progress from the basement and brought it upstairs. I managed to trim the corners, press them open, and trim again that morning. Incredible progress! Colton was very interested in those trimmed corners and he and Bronwyn had a party with them. These fabric scraps kept them busy for at least an hour, which is what gave me the opportunity to make that progress! Normally, I would have been concerned about adding my own mess to the communal mess I tend to everyday, but these were tiny pieces that were easily swept up. No harm, no foul in my book. And we’re building a nest! Fabric scraps only make it cozier, right?

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I know that accepting all of this is going to be a challenge for 2024 and might be more internal work than I wanted. We’ll just have to see how it all pans out as the year goes on!

Thank you to Carolyn for hosting us for another year! Be sure to check out her post and the other one little worders participating in 2024!