I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. ~John 14:27 (New Living Translation)

In August 2017, I found myself hiking up a mountain in New Zealand in shin-high powder to get some fresh turns. I was on a ski tour with 15 other brave souls, and had become instant friends with one of my fellow travelers, Lindsay. This particular hike – like most when you have a snowboard strapped to your back – was exhausting and a great mental challenge. At some point, one of us simply said, “Onward” and it became a mantra of sorts for the trip. I instantly knew that was my word for 2018: the intention I wanted to set and true north I wanted to use as a guide for the next 12 months.

In a similar way, when thinking about my word for 2019, there was no magic formula. I didn’t sit down with a lexicon or book of inspiring quotes. A more accurate way to describe it would be how Naomi Shihab Nye has described her writing: “Kindness came to me across the plaza and I was just the secretary.” 

I don’t remember a specific event or conversation. A few weeks ago, it just came to me: SHALOM.

Most people know shalom to be a Jewish greeting that means peace. It is used as both hello and goodbye. But the original Hebrew connotation is so much more than an absence of conflict: it embodies a sense of wholeness, completeness, health, prosperity, and even reconciliation to God, others, and self. And I don’t know about you, but I can use a generous dollop of all of those things right now. 

I love the idea that wholeness is something we can work towards, not just dream about. That healthy hearts and minds are tangible if we focus on healing. And peace – the kind that passes all understanding – is something that was made available to us by the Divine.

I have also come to realize that when picking up a new word, I am not in any way abandoning the previous ones. Certainly there will be refreshing, adventure, and more onward momentum in 2019. But those things will be wrapped around a more conscious goal related to prosperity of spirit, completeness of relationships, and reconciliation to self. 

So, shalom, 2018. And shalom, next 12 months. And shalom to you too – may you be full of well-being in this coming year.

[Photo: The hike mentioned in this post – Treble Cone Resort, Wanaka, New Zealand; Lindsay is in green, and I am in the yellow jacket.]