As 2017 came to a close, “word of the year” announcements cropped up all over the internet. Although the words selected by various organizations differed widely, they all called attention to some key concern in the cultural landscape over the past year. Dictionary.com’s word of the year was complicit. Merriam-Webster’s was feminism. And the American Dialect Society’s word of the year was fake news.
My personal word of the year
But as 2018 gallops away to a hectic start—how is it already the end of January?—I’m choosing a different kind of word of the year, one to help guide me as I move forward into the new year: gratitude.