My Word of the Year: Reweave

At the beginning of this year, I was in survival mode.

Then came a big transition. Now I’m in a phase of healing and rebuilding, trying to understand what I need and what I want to carry forward.

Choosing a word for the year feels different from here. I need a word with enough room for the year I’ve actually had.

My word is reweave.

What is a word of the year?

A word of the year is a word you choose to help guide your attention, choices, or intentions. It can describe something you want to practice, a feeling you want more of, or a direction you’re ready to explore.

Some people choose words like courage, steady, connection, or play. You might write yours in your journal, put it somewhere you’ll see it, or return to it when you’re making a decision.

It doesn’t have to become a project. You don’t have to measure your progress against it.

For me, its purpose is to offer a small point of reference: something I can come back to when the next step feels unclear.

Why choose one?

A whole year is difficult to plan for. Things happen that we couldn’t have anticipated, and our needs change along the way.

A word can move with us.

It can help us notice what matters without requiring us to know exactly how everything will unfold. Connection might remind someone to make time for a friend. Steady might help them choose a manageable routine. Play might make room for something enjoyable without needing to be good at it.

Choosing a word also gives us a reason to pause and ask:

What do I need in this season of my life?

The answer might be different from what we wanted in January. That’s useful information.

Why I chose “reweave”

This year began with survival for me. There was a big transition, and now I’m healing and rebuilding.

I wanted a word that could hold all of that.

When I think about reweaving, I picture working with threads that already exist. Some are still strong. Some need care. Others may no longer belong in the pattern I’m making.

There’s room to keep what matters and change how it fits together.

That feels right for this part of my year. I’m still here, with experiences, hopes, and parts of myself worth keeping. I also have permission to make different choices about the life taking shape around them.

Reweave gives me a way to think about rebuilding without expecting myself to return to exactly who I was before.

What reweaving might look like

I want to bring this word into ordinary decisions.

Which routines help me feel supported? Which relationships have room for me as I am now? What do I want to make space for again?

Some days, reweaving might mean tending to something practical that makes daily life easier. Other days, it might mean making time for rest, creativity, or connection.

It can also mean noticing when something needs to stay unfinished for a while.

I like that weaving happens a little at a time. You work with the section in front of you. The larger pattern becomes clearer as you go.

A few journal prompts for this season

If you’re choosing a word during a time of change, these questions might help:

• What has this year asked of me so far?
• What do I need more of now?
• What still feels like me?
• What am I ready to do differently?
• What small choice would support the life I’m rebuilding?

You can choose a word from your answers, or sit with them for a few days. There’s no deadline.

You can choose your word now

A word of the year doesn’t have to be chosen at the beginning.

Sometimes you need to live through part of the year before you know what word fits. Sometimes the word you chose earlier has done its job, and you need another one.

Survival describes where this year began for me.

Reweave describes how I want to move through the rest of it: with care for what remains, curiosity about what comes next, and time to find a pattern that feels like my own.