Essay and Photo by Katherine Munter
“One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince
As last year drew to a close, I received a letter from a friend. Rather than a resolution, she invited me to choose a word to embrace for the year ahead. This word would become a focal or grounding point. When confronted with a decision, I was encouraged to ask myself which path brings me closer toward the meaning of this word.
My friend told me to take my time, look up the history of the word, and search in the thesaurus to be sure the word encompasses exactly what I want to focus on. I hadn’t even finished her letter when a word burst into my mind: connection. I decided to sit with it and see if any other words emerged. No other words felt exactly right. My desire for connection was strong, and I decided to allow this word to guide me in the year ahead.
I didn’t realize when I chose to focus on connection how grateful I’d feel by the end of the year. Having a word inform my decisions was easy to commit to. It became a gentle reminder, a friend that nudged me in a direction when I needed a boost.
Connection is woven together over time, like an intricate tapestry of memories. Our stories become woven together with others, to the extent that it becomes hard to imagine our life without certain people in it. Sometimes years pass, yet when we reconnect, we can fall easily back into a rhythm, as though no time has passed. We can sit together and reminisce, looking at some of those little stitches of memory with cozy nostalgia.
We don’t go through life without losing some connections. Some broken threads we understand, and others become tender places where grief, loneliness, and regret can reside.
It feels magical and precious when you meet someone who you feel you’ve known forever. These kindred spirits seem to easily understand and relate to you without the need for explanation. They just sit down beside you at the loom, and before you realize it, you begin to weave your stories together.
New friendships can broaden your horizons and encourage you to take risks to pursue your goals. A new connection told me that her word for the year had been courage. I found myself instantly inspired by that word, and I started to consider its meaning.
Courage in English has come to mean having the mental resolve to persevere when confronted by a challenge, especially when it’s something you fear. The root “cor” comes from the Latin word for heart. The French word for heart, “coeur” stays closer to these Latin roots. The French word for courage is the same as English.
When French speakers want to show empathy and offer support to someone facing a challenge, they say “bon courage.” The direct translation would be good courage, but the phrase goes deeper than that. It’s about sending heartfelt inner strength and resilience. You’re sending someone strength from your heart to theirs so that they may get through the difficult path ahead.
This coming year, I’m inspired to face decisions heart first, not allowing fear to cloud my judgment or hold me back. I’ll ask my heart to guide me, and I’ll let courage move me forward.
I warmly invite you to choose a word that describes something you’d like to focus on or move toward in the coming year. How would you like to show up in the world, and what word could help you to move in that direction?
-Katherine Munter, clinical psychologist, art therapist, and founder of Creative Life Therapy, an Ann Arbor practice of art therapy and integrative wellbeing. Learn more at www.CreativeLifeTherapy.com.
