For the last decade or so, I have been choosing a word as the theme of my year. I try to use the word as a type of mantra and use it to help with the direction my life takes and the choices that I make. I usually announce my word in my end of the year post on New Year’s Eve, but thought I would share it a little early this year in its own post.

Before the start of 2025, I knew we were in for a very challenging year and chose my word accordingly. My word was RESIST, and I embraced it in all of my decisions about who to support and where to put my time and money, My word for 2026 has actually come from my resistance and the grassroots movements that have formed throughout this country. My word is:

Community

I have been craving community in my life. I tend to be pretty isolated and very introverted, so I don’t have a lot of friends and keep to myself. But I desperately want to help the people around me, and in order to do that, I have to step out into the community. But I need to find the right places to be, to help the most people and to find my personal community of support and friendship.

Many of my goals for 2026, including my BINGO squares, all center around community and community building. These include activities to support the community, such as volunteering, as well as activities to help me find community, such as joining community groups and taking classes.

I want to dedicate this coming year to finding my people, both in person and virtually. I think community is the only way to survive and thrive right now.