faith – Anne Rulo

Happy New Year! I’ve been picking a “word” for the year since 2019 and this year brought a surprise and a giggle. When my husband asked me what my word was I said, “present.” But, instead of a smile I got an accusation of stealing! Apparently the word he felt led to was “presence.” Upon further conversation, we learned that while our words are similar, their application is very different.

For my husband, the ever-intentional/vision-casting human being, the word presence feels very outward focused. He felt it as a call to be more present with the people in his life in order to have the most impact. It is word that encourages him to be with others more, to schedule times to talk, walk, connect, and offer inspiration and vision for what God might have for folks. And, for his personality, this idea is very invigorating.

And for mine? It sounds exhausting. But that’s how God is so good to work through different people according to their design, talents, and gifts.

A very similar word and yet, a very different meaning, “present” feels as relevant to me as presence feels to him. Instead of a call for more intention and planning, it feels like a call away from it, to keep my mind where my feet are, looking not behind or before, and to trust God’s moment-to-moment leading.

Of course, I live in the real world with children, work, bills, and doctor’s appointments so it’s not like I can go completely improvisational. So, here’s what “present” seems to look like practically:

To stop mentally “grading” days by accomplishment. A good/successful/worthwhile day is not one where much was accomplished and a bad/lazy/unproductive day is not one where few things were checked off the list. A day is simply a day lived for the Lord.
To pause as needed, embracing as my friend Beth Walker says, “holy interruptions.” This may mean pausing to look my children in the eye, giving value to and honoring what they are offering. It means at least a couple of times a day stopping to disconnect from tasks and reconnect to self, to nature, to breath, to God. And it means to close my eyes for a moment, a few minutes, or a nap, as needed.
To not fall prey to the lie that there is actually a reality where I could have thought through, done, and planned accordingly for everything. In all honesty, this lie is so embedded that it was even hard for me to type that.
And as a extrapolation upon the word present, it is to keep receiving the most important one. That of grace. Of acceptance. Of reducing striving and instead daily receiving the substitutionary Gift that lets me exist and love folks more freely rather than worrying about the how/what/when of how to get it all done.

Here’s to 2026, taking a (another) whack at destroying the idols of productivity and accomplishment, and humbly, gratefully, peacefully receiving the “present.”

For more of Anne’s mental health and faith content check out her blog, Bible studies, and speaking engagements!

Photo by JOYUMA on Unsplash, used with permission.

If choosing “one word” for the New Year seems cliche, choosing the word “healthy” might be even more so. But, while it is the word I feel like I was given, the concept is much more holistic. Here’s what being “healthy” this coming year means…

I’m going to make a dentist appointment. Why has everyone else in my family been to the dentist? Because Moms sometimes choose unnecessary self-sacrifice. Then, three years later, we look around and say, “Why haven’t I been to the dentist?”
Redefining what feels indulgent. Working out, reading a book, taking a walk, going to bed before my kids, showering…all things that I put off far too often for other things that “seem” more important. Hello self, it is more than okay to stop, shower, care for your physical health, and get a full night’s sleep.
Doing less to do more. I am not a high-energy person. Never have been. But, while my kids are at school I sometimes push myself to get “just one more thing done” because it seems like that’s what I should be doing when I have “free” time. Turns out, all that does is drain me for the time they are home. The plan is to pause more often so I can be more present with them.
Feed my kids more frequently. I know this may sound strange but we are not “meal” people. This is partly because I dislike cooking but partly because our schedules are wonky. Being more of a “continual grazing” family will hopefully align better with our busy schedules, the children’s quickly growing bodies, their lightening metabolism, and take pressure off “meals.”
Prioritize connection. Sometimes I don’t call folks because I feel like I “should” get to the to-do list or, worse, get to the “end of the list.” Turns out, there’s no such place. Tasks will always be there. People won’t.
Prioritize personal writing. Whew, this one is shaky but I am hopeful. Because these are my deadlines and not someone else’s, I put personal projects off until nearly everything else is done. Thus, these projects lag and lag, not getting done for my own satisfaction or published for readers for their encouragement.

To close, I would like to extend a thank you to Clarissa Pinkola Estés, whose following quote served as a touchstone in the journey to this year’s direction…

I’ve seen women insist on cleaning everything in the house before they could sit down to write… and you know it’s a funny thing about housecleaning… it never comes to an end. Perfect way to stop a woman. A woman must be careful to not allow over-responsibility (or over-respectabilty) to steal her necessary creative rests, riffs, and raptures. She simply must put her foot down and say no to half of what she believes she “should” be doing. Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only.

Art, like life, is not meant to exist only in stolen moments. Hopefully being “healthy” in these ways will help turn any unhealthy patterns inside out.

Blessings on your own adventures in 2025!

Previous “One Words”

And, just for my own sake (and in case you’re curious!) below are my “one words” from years past. It is interesting to see what they were in that season and how they’ve played out over the years.

(2019) Kindness. I believe this was my first one. And, I think I chose it because my kids were 7 and 4, kinda’ driving me bonkers.

(2020) Enjoy. The irony of seeing this printed on my desk throughout the pandemic was obvious. Also, it fit. I don’t know if ever before or ever since we will have the chance to pause and enjoy one another as we did that year.

(2021) I have no idea. I’m telling you this because I continue to work on perfectionism and it is humbling that I can’t remember. We moved. We survived. I’m counting that as a win.

(2022) Simplify. I’ve learned that picking “one word” and applying it takes practice, just like anything else. Last year was the first time I took action steps, intentionally “simplifying” what I gave my energy to and how many things I allowed myself to consider “doable” in a day. It was wonderful and effective. That is until I forgot for a bit in the fall and overbooked myself. Oh well, I’m glad for the guidance at least most of the year.

(2023) Chill Out/Free. This one was such a struggle. Sometimes discerning the word for the year comes easily and sometimes it doesn’t. But, once it finally did, it was such a relief. This was a year where things (finally) felt consistent and fear-free for the first time in a long, long time.

(2024) Focus. While I always strive to remember that I am a limited human, my ambition sometimes clouds that truth. Leading into 2024, I had a few experiences that told me I was trying to be too much, do too much, and thus, not being particularly effective at anything. It has been a joy this past year to live a more “limited” existence, moving more slowly, and intentionally doing only one thing at a time.

For more of Anne’s mental health and faith content check out her blog, Bible studies, and speaking engagements!

Photo by Paico Oficial on Unsplash

Tag: faith

One Word 2026: Present

One Word 2025: Healthy (But Not Like You’d Think)

Previous “One Words”