Word of the Year | But I Smile Anyway...

Word Of The Year – 2025 edition! #WOTY Change

01 Jan 2025 19 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Word of the Year, WOTY2025

Another new year has arrived.

Hello, 2025.

And wishing you all a Happy New Year, too!

Welcome to 2025!

Yup, a new year has begun. A new chapter in the book of our lives.

2024 has brought additional strife, worldwide, with war and politics

We have a new government, promising all sorts, but not doing much yet.

Personally, I’ve had many positives.

After a year of not being able to write, I finally finished book three, and In God’s Hands was published in November.

Lil Princess passed her GCSEs against many odds, and started 6th form with a much more positive outlook on life.

Lil Man passed his driving test, so half my mum taxi duties are now retired!

Meeting lots of lovely writers folk at the RNA Conference, and book events!

Though, there have been lows; with my own health, seeing precious ones around me with health faltering.

Work is getting tougher. I don’t know if getting older makes it harder, but demands on teachers are high. Children changing, the world changing, but curriculum and expectations staying the same make life at school pretty tough.

Now, as you are aware, I have chosen a word to accompany that year over the last few years, as I haven’t set resolutions.

2019 – it was SELF. And I am happy to say I have been pretty good at keeping that self-care up since then, too!
2020 – BELIEVE. Well, let’s all agree that 2020 was a kinda unbelievable year, all in all, with the pandemic and BLM… However, I did believe. And my beliefs meant that 2020 was the year I finally became a published author!
2021 – I chose the word HOPE. I think we all needed hope to pull us through what I found to be a tougher year than 2020 in many ways. I travelled through it, exhausted and worried about everyone and everything around me. But I did keep that hope alive, within.
2022 – my choice was CREATE. I’d like to think that I managed a bit of all that I had hoped to achieve!
2023 – I chose the word STRENGTH. I started with a different thought in my mind, regarding the meaning of that word. Reaching the end of this year, I know I have gained strength, but in ways I never thought I would be tested.
2024 was BALANCE. I was determined to being more balance to my life in all aspects.

So, last year I centred my Word Of The Year aspirations on these three things.

Create Balance in my home life

We are still working on this as a family, but everyone is trying hard to do more, so we share the load, meaning Mummy isn’t responsible for everything. Also, giving the others responsibility for their choices, means I don’t feel responsible for absolutely everything.

Balance my work/home life to leave time for my writing

I did manage this, I’m happy to say! Once my writing mojo reappeared, I was focused on making time for my passion for words. Then I took a break. I’ll continue to put this as a priority, because there are many more stories in me!

Balance time for myself along with time for others

Yes! Forever, the needs of everyone else took precedence over mine. There was no balance. I was always at the bottom of the list of priorities. I feel like I have, over this year, begun to put me first sometimes, now, but I’m a work in progress!

So, which word do I add to my list for 2025?

I thought long and hard because 2025 is the year I turn 50!

So many words spun around my mind, but this one just came bouncing bsck, every time:

Change

Change my priorities to ensure I am near the top
Change my lifestyle to suit the everchanging needs of my health
Think about about a big Change I hope to make with my work life in the next couple of years

And with this post, off I go to start that new year, filled with Self, Belief, Hope, Creation, Strength, Balance and CHANGE!

Word Of The Year – 2024 edition! #WOTY Balance

01 Jan 2024 62 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #WOTY, 2023, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Word of the Year

Another new year has arrived.

Hello, 2024.

And wishing you all a Happy New Year, too!

I’ll keep it a teeny bit subdued, as when I get excited about something at the start, things have a tendency to nosedive…

It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? We end with awful atrocities still happening in Ukraine, the awful war between Hamas and Israel, tearing Gaza apart, and poverty on the increase in so many places as the cost of living has soared.

We had the new King’s coronation here in the UK in May, too. Another historic event.

Personally, things have been up and down. I had the release of my second book, Straight As A Jalebi, which was wonderful. I visited the London Book Fair for the first time, and to be surrounded by so many like-minded folks was unreal. I got to meet my publishers, face to face, for the first time, too!

My brother visited with my Finndian family and we had such fun! My best friend finally came to stay with her daughter, too, which was a long overdue visit.

Lil Man passed his A-Levels with fantastic grades and started his new job and apprenticeship.

But, along with lots of fun, we had dark patches. Some lasting longer than others. It’s not something I will go into here, but I will say that I would never wish that kind of time on any parent, ever. Thankfully, things are looking brighter, and hopefully, they will continue increasing.

As a result of the hardships, I barely wrote. Reading and books were my solace for a long time, as we battled through.

Now, as you are aware, I have chosen a word to accompany that year over the last few years, as I haven’t set resolutions.

2019 – it was SELF. And I am happy to say I have been pretty good at keeping that self-care up since then, too!
2020 – BELIEVE. Well, let’s all agree that 2020 was a kinda unbelievable year, all in all, with the pandemic and BLM… However, I did believe. And my beliefs meant that 2020 was the year I finally became a published author!
2021 – I chose the word HOPE. I think we all needed hope to pull us through what I found to be a tougher year than 2020 in many ways. I travelled through it, exhausted and worried about everyone and everything around me. But I did keep that hope alive, within.
2022 – my choice was CREATE. I’d like to think that I managed a bit of all that I had hoped to achieve!
2023 – I chose the word STRENGTH. I started with a different thought in my mind, regarding the meaning of that word. Reaching the end of this year, I know I have gained strength, but in ways I never thought I would be tested.

So, last year I centred my Word Of The Year aspirations on these five things.

Build my strength up physically, as I know that will help me as I enter that middle-aged time of life.

I started off so well… I trained for a short while, daily, with a plan created by (not so) Lil Man, so I could build my core strength up. Then, I got ill and never quite got back to it. Oops!

Have the strength to face all the ups and downs that will come because that is life.

I think I get the crown for this one. I am not sure I have ever lived the rollercoaster of emotions that we faced as a family, this year… But I am still standing, and currently, we are in a good place!

Be strong for my family and have the strength to fight for what is right for them, not the rest of the world.

This one, I 100% did, and will continue to do. I have to be there for my children and the best decisions for them. And I have pushed for everything to make things right for them.

Build my community around me, be it my physical friends and family or my online ones, as there is strength in numbers.

I think this one has worked too, as even though my blogging calmed down considerably after August due to circumstances out of my control, the blogily I have around me kept in touch with me and helped me through a tough time. And building numbers? Well, yes, that happened too, as SM changed, and Twitter went to X, we got Threads and Blue Sky… plus I made more and more firm friends through my publisher and groups on Facebook.

Ensure I keep the strength in myself so that I never lose myself under the demands of my life.

This is a big one. We faced some awful situations as a family, this year, and one of the reasons I stepped back from regular blogging was to ensure I didn’t lose myself. Because if I did that, I wouldn’t have been able to cope with the needs of others, and I wouldn’t have been strong enough to cope with everything

So, which word do I add to my list for 2024?

I thought long and hard and came up with this:

Balance

Create balance within our home life
Balance my work/home life to leave time for my writing
Balance time for myself along with time for others

And with this post, off I go to start that new year, filled with Self, Belief, Hope, creation, strength and BALANCE!

Word Of The Year – 2023 edition! #WOTY Strength #JusJoJan

01 Jan 2023 44 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #WOTY, 2023, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Word of the Year

Another new year has arrived.

Hello, 2023. And wishing you all a Happy New Year, too!

I keep it a teeny bit subdued, as everything I get excited about something at the start, things have a tendency to nosedive…

There have been tremendous highs, like my publishing contract and the rerelease of Marriage Unarranged, and the positive outcome of the OFSTED inspection at school, but there have been horrendous lows, too. We’ve lost loved ones, and handled some more personal issues that I pray no one else ever has to handle, themselves…

And, as you are aware, I have chosen a word to accompany that year over the last few years, as I haven’t set resolutions..

2019 – it was SELF. And I am happy to say I have been pretty good at keeping that self-care up since then, too!
2020 – BELIEVE. Well, let’s all agree that 2020 was a kinda unbelievable year, all in all, with the pandemic and BLM… However, I did believe. And my beliefs meant that 2020 was the year I finally became a published author!
2021 – I chose the word HOPE. I think we all needed hope to pull us through what I found to be a tougher year than 2020 in many ways. I travelled through it, exhausted and worried about everyone and everything around me. But I did keep that hope alive, within.
2022 – my choice was CREATE. I’d like to think that I managed a bit of all that I had hoped to achieve!

So, last year I centred my Word Of The Year aspirations on these four things.

Create harmony in my household (with two teens, that will be a challenge!)

Now, that has been quite a biggie. I’ll be the first to admit that this hasn’t been easy, but it has taken a whole load of communication and understanding, education and listening, I think we have got there, just about. I can’t be specific here, but we have had a HELL of a year in some respects, and it has been tough trying to stay upbeat, all the time, but I feel like we are leaving 2022 with a fresh, better understanding of how to handle certain situations, and I’d like to think 2023 will echo that and continue on an upwards trajectory.

Create new dishes in my kitchen ( I just want to get cooking again!)

I may have started this one a little later in the year, but I am happy to say that I have got my cooking mojo back over the last couple of months. I have perfected old recipes and am trying out new ones, learning how to adapt recipes to suit the palates in this household, because goodness knows, there are a whole load of different preferences and tastes floating a

Create new traditions in our new house (New house, new traditions!)

We now have our own ways to celebrate special days that involve us and our household, i instead of always rushing off to the rest of the family. That is not to say that we don’t do that. It is as much of an important part of our special times as before, but we now make sure we do things in our own home, too.

Create new adventures for others to read (That’s the biggie!)

Well, I definitely achieved that one! Book two Straight As A Jalebi is with the publisher, already, and is due for a release in 2023!

So, which word do I add to my list for 2023?

I thought long and hard and came up with this:

Strength

Build my strength up physically, as I know that will help me as I enter that middle-aged time of life.
Have the strength to face all the ups and downs that will come because that is life.
Be strong for my family and have the strength to fight for what is right for them, not the rest of the world.
Build my community around me, be it my physical friends and family or my online ones, as there is strength in numbers.
Ensure I keep the strength in myself so that I never lose myself under the demands of my life.

And with this post, off I go to start that new year, filled with Self, Belief, Hope, creation and STRENGTH!

This post is also part of #JusJoJan

Word Of The Year – 2022 edition! #WOTY

01 Jan 2022 58 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: 2022, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Create, Word of the Year

So, we are here.

2022!

Goodness knows what it will bring, but, firstly, let me wish you the happiest of New Year!

And, as you are aware, I have chosen a word to accompany that year over the last few years.

2019 – it was SELF. And I am happy to say I have been pretty good at keeping that self care up, since them, too!
2020 – BELIEVE. Well, lets all agree that 2020 was a kinda unbelievable year, allin all, with the paandemic, and BLM… However, I did believe. And my beliefs meant that 2020 was the year I finally became a published author!
2021 – I chose the word HOPE. I think we all needed hope to pull us through what I found to be a tougher year than 2020, in many ways. I travelled through it, exhausted and worried abaout everyone and everything around me. But, I did keep that hope alive, within.

This time last year, I wrote this:

Inside, I have that hope that things will get better.

I hope that I have the time and energy to keep writing.

I hope to finish that first draft and have my novella ready for a reader magnet. (Well, I need that, not hope to do it, so I can send it to newsletter subscribers!)

Another hope is that I can cope with the responsibilities of this new job role and that I make it to the end of the academic year successfully, especially considering I am stepping back into it in a couple of days with another set of enforced home learning for a while… not sure how long for, either!

Oh, and I hope to work out a healthy, happy balance with exercise and food!

And, I hope we finally find our forever home, and by this time next year, I’ll be typing my post in a totally different place!

I think I was right to choose Hope because there was so much uncertainty around what we were experiencing.

I mean, I got through the year, thank goodness! Things kinda got better with the virus, but they went down again…

I am now in my second academic year in Middle Leadership in school. Was it what I envisaged my teaching career to be? No… however, I am coping, and sometimes, enjoying it!

But, I didn’t do great with my writing. (Though, as I may have hinted at, things are on the up with regards to that, too!)

I lost lots of weight… then put it back on again!

And my hope of a forever home? Well, that became a reality!

So, what is my word for this year?

Yup, it’s Create.

One thing I am, if nothing else, is creative, but things have been drowning my creativity recently. Now, I have a huge reason to bring that creativity to the forefront of my life.

Create harmony in my household (with two teens, that will be a challenge!)
Create new dishes in my kitchen ( I just want to get cooking again!)
Create new traditions in our new house (New house, new traditions!)
Create new adventures for others to read (That’s the biggie!)

And I will keep the words from previous years going, too, because they have helped shape me over the last few years.

Do you choose a WOTY?

2021 – Word Of The Year

01 Jan 2021 78 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: 2021, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, hope, Word of the Year

Well, that was a year we all were kinda glad to see the back of, wasn’t it?

Bye 2020!

Still, it wasn’t all that bad, was it?

I’ve carried on my new tradition from the last few New Year’s Days, of choosing a word of the year.

2019 was Self, and I really embraced that, making sure I took time out for me, ensured self care was a key part of my life,

2020, I chose Believe. It was all about strengthening that belief in myself, that I could achieve my goals and dreams, and also, feed my belief, spiritually, too.

I admit I had wobbles, especially since the pandemic hit, but, when I look back, I realise I have actually done a lot more towards that word, than I thought!

I did believe in myself, and I published that book. I wrote a good 50K words on the second, which was no mean feat considering being in school during this crazy time.

Spiritually, the more frequent temple visits didn’t happen, due to Covid-19, but my beliefs have not wavered.

Unfortunately, that belief that I would get healthy didn’t quite work… I started walking lots in the summer, when the original lockdown happened, but since we’ve been back at school, and the weather has changed, that hasn’t happened, and a lot of food has been consumed… put it this way, I don’t need a cushion to get cosy on a chair, right now!

And now, here we are in 2021. What would suit my feelings? What will help me achieve a better Ritu?

After not too much thinking, a word stood out. One that I think is really important to have in all our lives, and it is this:

Yes, Hope.

Inside, I have that hope, that things will get better.

I hope that I have the time and energy to keep writing.

I hope to finish that first draft, and have my novella ready for a reader magnet. (Well, I need that, not hope to do it, so I can send it to newsletter subscribers!)

Another hope, is that I can cope with the responsibilities of this new job role, and that I make it to the end of the academic year, successfully, especially considering I am stepping back into it in a couple of days with another set of enforced home learning for a while… not sure how long for, either!

Oh, and I do hope I can work out a healthy, happy balance with exercise, and food!

And, I hope we finally find our forever home, and by this time next year, I’ll be typing my post in a totally different place!