Word of the Year: 2026

 

Sunrise on Grand in Las Vegas, New Mexico, 2007. Credit: Mzuriana

Before I roll out my 2026 word of the year next month, below is a recap of years past: 

2018: Courage

• January 2018: Courage 1: Malala
  
• February 2018: Courage 2: Audre Lorde

2019: Action

• January: Action
• February: Action: Legal Observers
• March: Action: Penpal
• July: Action: Escaping Despair
• August: Action: Lipstick and Salvation
• September: Action: A Refugee Shelter

 2020: Build

1. Build 1: After the Floods
2. Build 2: Fronterista
3. Build 3: "House"
4. Build 4: Chosens
5. Build 5: It Takes a Village
6. Build 6: Elevation
7. Build 7: Trail Building
8. Build 8: Money
9. Build 9: Health 
10. Build 10: Service and Activism
11. Build 11: Relationships
12. Build 12: Creative Life
13. Lagniappe 13: My Rootless Goals
    

2021: Joy

• November 2020: Reserving My Word for 2021: Joy
  
• Joy 1: Word of the Year: Joy
  
• Joy 2: Music
• Joy 3: Surprise Vista
  
• Joy 4: Happy, Joyous, and Free
  
• Joy 5: The Science of Joy, Interrupted
  
• Joy 6: Color
• Joy 7: Birdsong
• Joy 8: Here and Now, Boys
  
• Joy 9: A Tomato and Onion Sandwich
• Joy 10: Let in Light
  
• Joy 11: Scentsuality
• Joy 12: Remembrances

2022: Disciplines

• January: Introduction
• February: Showers
• June: Daily Walks
• July: A Work Schedule
• August: Gone Dark

 2023: Fear

• January: Looking Into the Abyss Without Falling In
• February: Fuck Everything And Run
• March: Forgetting Everything's All Right
• April: "Take More Risks"
• May: Feelings Expressed Allow Relief
• June: Face Everything And ... Rise
• July: Frustration, Ego, Anxiety, Resentment
• August: Face Everything And Recover
• September: Freedom and Imprisonment

2024: Migration

• February: Migration
• March: The Devil's Highway
• April: The Warmth of Other Suns

2025: Meditation

• January: Introduction
• February: Meditation
• March: Into Action
• April: May You Be ... 
• May: Writing Meditation
• June: Walking Meditation
• July: Beads and Seeds
• August: Coloring
• September: Qigong
• October: Land Snorkeling
• November: The Facial
• December: Listening